Barnens Regnskog (Children's rainforest) is a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

established in 1987, which is dedicated to raising funds for

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

preservation. The charity supports preservation projects in Thailand, Guatemala, Belize, Costa Rica and Ecuador and has contributed to preserving of rainforest. Fundraising activities are done in Sweden as well as Germany and the United States.

History

The founding of Barnens Regnskog was inspired by the fundraising of 9-year-old elementary school student Roland Tiensuu, his teacher Eha Kern and her husband Bernd Kern. In 1987 Eha Kern, while teaching at Fagerviks School in

Sorunda Sorunda is a locality situated in Nynäshamn Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 1,307 inhabitants in 2010. It is the hometown of Ulla Akselson, Moa Martinsson, and Harry Martinsson. Sorunda church Sorunda church is an unusually large ...

( Nynäshamn Municipality), invited an American biologist to show slides and speak to her class about

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

's Monteverde Reserve. The lecture was put into a wider context of the destruction of the tropical rainforests. The lecture had a deep impression on the children. Roland Tiensuu suggested that he and his classmates should raise funds for the Monteverde Reserve's land purchase program. They started with a bake sale, which helped raise enough money to purchase of rainforest for the reserve. Further money was raised by the children through selling cards, painting and handicrafts. Soon after, thousands of rainforest groups were forming in schools and churches around Sweden and were put together in the Barnens Regnskog organization. The first Barnens Regnskog rainforest reserve was established in 1989 in the Monteverde Reserve. The Barnens Regnskog part of the reserve today spans {{cvt, 300, km2.

Awards

* 1990 Âret Runt * 1990 Social Innovation Prize by

Svenska Dagbladet ''Svenska Dagbladet'' (, "The Swedish Daily News"), abbreviated SvD, is a daily newspaper published in Stockholm, Sweden. History and profile The first issue of ''Svenska Dagbladet'' appeared on 18 December 1884. During the beginning of the ...

* 1991 Goldman Environmental Prize

References

Charities based in Sweden Environmental organizations based in Sweden Organizations established in 1987 Rainforests Goldman Environmental Prize awardees