Leading environmental compliance data specialists Ecoveritas has partnered with the Friends of Glenan Woods to support the preservation of the Glenan Temperate Rainforest. Ecoveritas is putting the money it would spend in offsetting its annual CO2e emissions to support a nature-based solution.
Ecoveritas already works to reduce emissions across its value chains and activities, but to continue the trajectory towards its net zero aspirations, Ecoveritas has decided to invest in a nature-based solution to prevent the carbon associated with its projected future investments from entering the environment.
Ecoveritas has committed to balancing its emissions by investing time and resources in Responsible Forest Conservation and Restoration of the UK’s temperate rainforests by partnering with Friends of Glenan Woods, 146 hectares of ancient woodland on ‘Argyll’s Secret Coast’ on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll, Scotland. The move helps protect the temperate rainforest and positively impacts biodiversity and the capacity to adapt to climate change.
Andrew McCaffery, Chief Strategy Officer at Ecoveritas, said: “We’re really pleased that we can make this direct contribution to the Friends of Glenan Wood, in a way that not only helps fight climate change but also assists the local community surrounding the wood, who use it for walking, educational visits for schools and many other great initiatives. Temperate rainforests are an extremely important part of our natural heritage and also store huge quantities of carbon, so it is great to be associated with playing a small part in safeguarding them”.
UK rainforests have a huge potential to store and sequester carbon due to the lichens, mosses, and ferns that cover the trees, known as epiphytes. The woodland at Glenan has mature pedunculate and sessile oak, downy birch, pine, hazel, alder, rowan, holly, and willow. Oak trees are some of the greatest at sequestering carbon. Compared to a forest of other trees of the same size, a mature oak forest can store up to 50% more carbon.
“As part of our sustainability and team-building strategy, Ecoveritas will help Glenan Woods by contributing to the preservation and conservation of the woodland,” added McCaffery. “By taking on the responsibility for maintaining and preserving Glenan’s distinctive ecosystem we wish to inspire all our clients to do the same and devote their resources to safeguarding the unique temperate rainforest of the UK as part of their sustainability strategy.”
Ecoveritas hopes that by working with the Friends of Glenan Woods, it can help businesses shift their focus from immediate individual carbon neutrality to long-term contributions to future global carbon neutrality.
