We have all assumed that nature would always be here for us and our children. However, our unsustainable use of nature is threatening our future. The crisis faced by the natural world is now at a tipping point.
Healing the harm
Carbon offsetting is one means of repairing the damage we have caused to nature.
At Durrell our mission as a charity is to save species from extinction, but in order to save species, you also need to save their habitat. Our work to restore and protect some of the most threatened habitats on the planet over the last 60 years, also captures and sequesters carbon.
We are very proud to be launching Rewild Carbon this year, our carbon offsetting programme that not only reduces carbon, but also revives ecosystems, recovers species, and rebuilds livelihoods. Nature is at the very heart of the programme.
What is carbon offsetting?
A carbon offset is a ‘credit’ for greenhouse gas reductions achieved by one organisation that can be bought and used to offset the emissions of another organisation or person, or an activity like a flight or a corporate event, so that they are considered ‘carbon neutral’. Before we offset, individuals and organisations should first look to reduce their emissions wherever possible. Increasingly, individuals and organisations are choosing to become ‘climate positive’, meaning you give back more to nature than you take. Carbon offsetting can not only reduce your emissions, but can also increase brand loyalty and positioning, and attract and retain employees and partners.
Impactful offsetting
Here is why offsetting through Rewild Carbon is hugely beneficial for nature:
- Our ecosystems are highly threatened with many endangered species living amongst the last fragments. Species-rich forests can sequester up to 40 times more carbon than monocultures
- 95% of the money you invest in Rewild Carbon will go straight to nature
- We will translate tonnes of carbon into wild commodities like the number of species moving through your trees
- Our projects are designed with local communities and benefit sustainable livelihoods
- We work with local partners that we have long-standing relationships with. Together we can better understand the wildlife, the land and the threats they face
- Our approach is transparent and science-driven.
The Atlantic Forest
We are launching the first Rewild Carbon project in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil alongside our local partner Instituto de Pesquisas Ecologicas (IPE), with whom we have collaborated for 20 years. This extraordinarily lush forest in Brazil, is one of the richest, most biodiverse and threatened habitats on the planet. Sadly, only 6% of it remains today, in isolated fragments, replaced by pastures and intensive farmland.
The project aims to restore 4,500 hectares of vital forest corridors by 2030, linking these isolated fragments, and thereby creating lifelines for the wildlife including highly threatened populations of black lion tamarins, jaguars, tapirs and giant anteaters. These corridors are established by planting 100 different species of native trees, which will sequester nearly 2 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent over the trees lifetime.
Native people are at the heart of this project. The areas to be planted are designed together with locals, the trees are grown and planted by local people. The project also involves agroforestry, thereby providing sustainable livelihoods for the true guardians of this rich landscape.
How to get involved
Our Rewild Carbon programme is being launched to businesses this year, and will be available to individuals in 2021. If you’d like the opportunity to give back to nature, we’d love to hear from you.
Website: www.durrell.org/rewildcarbon/
Contact: Rachel Hughes rachel.hughes@durrell.org