A World Economic Forum video recently shared on social media, has successfully highlighted how our project, Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve, is harnessing the power of nature-based climate solutions to help companies reach net-zero before 2050.
The loss of forests, biodiversity and wildlife is intricately linked to the ongoing warming of our planet.
There are solutions to the climate problem, however we will need to throw our backs (and a lot of money) into them to ensure that they are as impactful as possible.
Nature-based solutions that are implemented to reduce the impacts of climate change have a laser point focus on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. One of the most impactful ways to secure effective carbon storage and reduce carbon emissions is through protecting, restoring and sustainably managing ecosystems. Of course, while that is being done, society's challenges must be addressed through the implementation of initiatives that promote community and individual human well-being.
What is Net Zero?
'Net zero refers to a state in which the greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere are balanced by removal out of the atmosphere. The term net zero is important because – for CO2 at least – this is the state at which global warming stops. The Paris Agreement underlines the need for net zero, requiring states to ‘achieve a balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases in the second half of this century’. - netzeroclimate.org
The importance of nature based solutions
Forests, peatlands, mangroves, wetlands, ocean habitats, savannahs, etc.- are all well-known nature-based solutions for climate change .
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) defines nature-based solutions as “actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural or modified ecosystems, that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits”.
REDD+
Reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks.
What are we doing?
Rimba Raya is one of the largest REDD+ project in the world, in terms of avoided emissions delivered to date, protecting nearly 65,000 hectares of peat swamp forest in Central Kalimantan in Indonesian Borneo.
As a REDD+ Project, Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve is a super nature based solution with a commitment to building effective partnerships and mutual respect between people and nature .
Healthy peatlands sequester carbon, support the water cycle, support livelihoods and protect biodiversity.
Rimba Raya avoids more than 130 million tonnes of carbon emissions over 30 years.
We form a vital patrolled buffer zone between the ever-encroaching bulldozers of the palm oil industry and the Tanjung Puting National Park, home to one of the last remaining wild populations of orangutans on earth.
Rimba Raya offers safe haven to orangutans, clouded leopards, sunbears and other IUCN endangered species.
Rimba Raya recently planted 55,000 mangrove trees close to the Rimba Raya project area. In total we have planted over 350,000 trees in degraded areas around the project zone.
Rimba Raya develops livelihood programmes in surrounding villages which are verified under the Verra SD VISta program as contributing to all 17 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals to provide health, education, employment and micro-enterprise opportunities.
These include:
The floating clinic that services people who have never had access to medical care
Water purifying systems and water filters that supply clean drinking water
Solar panels that supply electricity to village streets, houses and community buildings
Chicken Farm & Zuper shrimp paste micro-enterprises which are run by the women's COOP
Libraries and scholarships
Community farms
Fire prevention and suppression and forest patrols
River clean-ups and garbage collection
Our project has undergone several audits and has been validated and verified under the Verified Carbon (VCS) Standard and has achieved a Triple Gold rating in the Climate Community and Biodiversity (CCB) Standard.
‘The CCB Standards identify land management projects that deliver net positive benefits for climate change mitigation, for local communities and for biodiversity.’ – Verra.org
Net-Zero isn’t just a catch phrase- our company makes a meaningful contribution to this long-term goal.
It is clear from the science that the amount of human caused carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere largely determines the extent of global warming. This means that to prevent catastrophic climate change, CO2 emissions need to be drastically reduced.
Our mission is simple; protect nature, support people, provide opportunities and develop long lasting partnerships that will help us achieve these goals and contribute to a more sustainable future for us all.