Norway, Guardian of the Rainforest

An interesting article from Fast Company caught my eye this week. It's called Why Norway Is Paying a South American Country to Not Cut Down its Trees. The article explains how Norway made a ground-breaking agreement with the country of Guyana in an effort to prevent deforestation and slow climate change. The agreement, in which Norway pays Guyana up to $250 million through 2015, could serve as a model for other nations.

This kind of partnership might sound strange, but when you look at Norway's foreign aid policy, it's not that surprising. Guyana isn't the only country that has benefitted from this initiative: The biggest recipient of Norway's effort rainforest preservation efforts in 2011 was Brazil, which received NOK 1.4 billion.

This map from the December 2012 issue of Viking shows the biggest recipients of Norway's $28 billion foreign aid budget. Interested in learning more? Check out the rest of Lydia Seabol Avant's article "Agent of Peace," in our December issue. You'll also find a wealth of information about Norwegian foreign aid stats and policies at Norad.no.

Amy Boxrud is editor of Viking magazine. She lives with her family in Northfield, Minn., where she’s a member of Nordmarka 1-585.