Durrell launches Rewild Carbon; a wild, colourful, and impactful nature-based solution for businesses

For several decades, Durrell has been reducing carbon in the atmosphere through their work saving species and protecting and restoring habitats around the world. The launch of Rewild Carbon allows businesses to partner with Durrell to balance their carbon impacts by investing in a nature-based solution, which is as effective, and science driven as it is exciting and inspiring.

Rewild Carbon offers more than offsetting your business’ carbon footprint. This initiative addresses the urgent need to solve both the climate and biodiversity crisis by reviving ecosystems, recovering species, reducing carbon and rebuilding livelihoods.

Dr Lesley Dickie, Durrell’s CEO commented:

“The world needs us all to take immediate action if we are to avert worst case scenarios of both biodiversity loss and climate change. These issues are two sides of the same coin, we solve both or we solve neither. Rewild Carbon offers an impactful, nature-based climate solution to businesses that has so much more to it than some traditional offsetting programmes.

Investing in Rewild Carbon means that your business will restore a precious rainforest. You will be contributing to a rich and vibrant ecosystem, and we know that species-rich forests sequester up to 40 times more carbon than monocultures.”

Durrell's approach to carbon offsetting is science-driven and they work with local partners, with whom they have long-standing relationships, and their projects are designed together with local communities to benefit sustainable livelihoods. Furthermore, Rewild Carbon projects are packed with biodiversity and community co-benefits beyond just carbon.

Durrell’s first Rewild Carbon project is in the Atlantic Forest in Brazil. This is one of the richest, most biodiverse and threatened habitats on the planet: it holds 7% of the world’s species, of which 55% are only found there. Just 6% of the interior rainforest now remains in the project region, in isolated fragments, replaced by pastures and intensive farmland.

Durrell is working with local partners IPE (Instituto de Pesquisas Ecologicas), with whom they have partnered for many years, to restore 5,000 hectares of new forest through forest corridors and agroforestry. The project aims to plant 7 million trees, from over 100 different native species. The tree corridors provide lifelines for threatened wildlife including black lion tamarins, jaguars, and ocelots. In addition, the trees are grown in community-run nurseries and agroforestry provides income for nature-dependent communities that live there.

Rewild Carbon Credits are available to purchase, each of which will sequester 1 tonne of CO2e; which a customer can buy to balance their carbon emissions. Rewild Carbon Credits are sold at £25.00 per tonne of CO2e.

Dr Dickie went on to comment:

“We are entering a world where mandatory climate disclosures by companies will be a matter of regulation, as is already happening in countries like New Zealand. In the near future, company balance sheets will include climate, biodiversity, and community, measuring profit and loss in not only pounds sterling and dollars.”

Partnering with Durrell and Rewild Carbon to manage your carbon impacts will put your business ahead of the curve and lead the conversation with your colleagues and clients.

Durrell is grateful to discretionary wealth manager, Quilter Cheviot, who has sponsored the launch of Rewild Carbon. Tim Childe, Head of International & Jersey Office, commented:

“We are delighted to be the Official Launch Partner of Rewild Carbon, which is driving such important change. As this year marks Quilter Cheviot’s 250th anniversary, this provides the perfect opportunity for us to raise awareness of our sustainable objectives to ensure we are improving the way we treat our planet over for future generations. Whilst we are committed to supporting companies that are trying to create the solutions to environmental issues on behalf of our clients, as a responsible investor we also continue engaging with those that can do better to safeguard a sustainable future. Quilter Cheviot is investing in the next 250 years!”

Rewild Carbon is currently available to businesses, and Durrell plans to launch to individuals wishing to offset their carbon footprint in 2022.

If your business would like to learn more, please visit www.durrell.org/rewildcarbon or contact [email protected]