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20-YEAR PARTNERSHIP PROTECTING AND RESTORING TROPICAL FOREST
Nature is in crisis and climate change is one of the greatest challenges human kind has ever faced. At the same time, the world is experiencing a great loss of biodiversity, and the populations of fish, birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles have in total decreased by 73 per cent since 1970 (Source: Living Planet Report 2024).
If we are to reach the ambitions of the Paris Agreement and create a sustainable future for the next generations, it is vital that both governments and companies take ambitious action. This is exactly what this innovative partnership aims at. Through forest conservation and restoration projects around the globe, the partnership simultaneously aims at enhancing biodiversity and improving the livelihood of local communities.
AN INSPIRING PARTNERSHIP
The initiative of the VELUX Group to take climate action means that the company will take responsibility for its historical carbon footprint since its foundation in 1941.
Through the partnership, the VELUX Group is committed to reduce and remove at least 4.5 million tons CO2 through financing forest projects developed and delivered by WWF. The partnership aims to contribute the generated verified carbon reductions and removals to the host countries’ climate commitments. This means that the verified carbon units will not be traded nor used for offsetting by VELUX or any other organisation.
This partnership goes beyond the VELUX Group’s other sustainability ambitions in which the Group has set a target to achieve a 100 percent reduction in CO2 emissions from their operations and to halve their value chain emissions by 2030 with 2020 as a base year. The targets are set through the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) meaning that the targets are aligned with the ambition of keeping global warming to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels.
With this partnership, WWF wishes to inspire other companies to follow the example of the VELUX Group and take responsibility for their CO2 footprint.
The partnership between WWF and VELUX consists of three forest projects in Uganda, Madagascar, and Viet Nam as of now.
Read more about the projects below.
Natural Forest Regeneration and Protection in Uganda
The partnership's first forest project is in the Ugandan part of the Albertine Rift – one of the world’s most important biodiversity hotspots. This area is severely affected by deforestation due to the local communities’ need for farmland, timber, and fuelwood.
The project aims to restore the degraded forests, plant new trees, and protect the existing natural forests through a range of initiatives and in collaboration with the local communities. It is expected that the project will reduce and remove about 1.5 million tonnes of CO2.
The project implementation began in 2022 in four forests reserves. So far, the process of restoration of more than 1,300 ha of natural forest has started. Saplings have been planted in between remaining trees and naturally regenerating trees in the project area. In addition, a number of livelihood activities has begun to support and enhance the livelihood of the local communities. This includes beekeeping, mushroom growing and sustainable alternatives to timber and fuelwood.
Restoration and protection of Madagascar's Green Shores
The second forest project of the partnership is located in the mangrove of the Manambolo-Tsiribihina landscape in western Madagascar. The area is classified as a wetland of international importance due to its unique coastal biodiversity.
The mangrove is critical for supporting the local communities’ livelihoods which includes small-scale fisheries and crab fishing, the main source of income - while it also provides vital natural protection against climate change, including storm surges and cyclones affecting Madagascar's coastal areas. The mangroves are also home to at least 18 threatened animal species, however, still highly affected by deforestation.
In Madagascar, the active restoration sites are composed of highly degraded areas in which little to no vegetation remains. Restoration efforts also include areas of initiation natural regeneration which need additional ecological infrastructural activities. Until now, community members have initiated the restoration of 500 hectares of degraded mangroves.
The project was launched in 2023 with a focus on protection and restoration of the mangroves and its ecosystems and it is expected that the project will reduce and remove about 600,000 tons CO2. Project activities include planting of trees to increase the protection of the coastal area, habitat for fish nurseries and to enhance the livelihood of local communities as well as the local fauna.
Reviving the silent forests of Viet Nam
The area is, however, still affected by deforestation and poaching threatening its flora and fauna as well as the livelihoods of the local communities. By undertaking efforts to improve and increase forest cover and to reduce poaching and snaring, the project is expected to create a healthier and more connected habitat for the region’s rich flora and fauna.
The forest project will support and enhance the livelihoods of the local communities by capacity building in sustainable farming practices such as sustainable production of medicinal species under natural forest canopies.
OLD TREES – NEW IDEAS
The world faces a climate and biodiversity crisis which is only worsened by increased deforestation. According to the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization, FAO, a 100.000 sq. km of natural forest is lost every year – an area almost equal to the size of Iceland.
Fortunately, nature itself has solutions to combat these challenges. Forests contribute to stabilizing the climate by absorbing CO2, releasing oxygen, regulating water supply, and improving water quality. Furthermore, the forests are home to more than half of all species found on land and to a variety of life that contributes to the health of our ecosystems. That is why healthy and coherent forests are essential for both the planet and humankind.
NATURE IS PART OF THE ANSWER TO THE CLIMATE CRISIS
The video is part of the” Age of Change: The Business of Survival” series, which provides an interesting view of how companies and organizations worldwide are adjusting a changing world. The series was developed by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions.
THE KEY TO SUCCESS IS LOCAL KNOWLEDGE AND PARTNERSHIPS
The experience from more than 50 years of work within nature conservation shows that robust and permanent solutions must take their departure in local communities' knowledge about the forests and the environment. Additionally, projects focusing on protection and restoration of forests has proved a faster and more long-lasting solution to conserve and expand the forests of the world than projects merely planting trees.
Private companies play a central role in creating a sustainable future for the world. We collaborate with companies to create long-term goals that creates value for both companies and nature.
Our approach to collaborating with companies is constructive and positive and builds on the vision that together we can make a difference and ease the pressures on nature. How we do it? We will find out together as it depends on the size of your company and its footprint.
WWF has great knowledge within natural resources such as soya, palm oil and wood; of big forest projects and climate; of biodiversity, freshwater, among other areas. If the knowledge is not found at the local office, it will surely be found among the 6,000 employees in the WWF Network around the world.