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E-commerce giant Amazon on Monday said it will make an initial investment of $3 million in nature-based projects in India. The allocation is part of the company’s $15 million fund it has allocated for nature-based projects in Asia Pacific (APAC).
“The first $3 million from the fund’s APAC allocation will support nature-based projects in India. For its first project, Amazon will be working with the Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS) to support communities and conservation efforts in the Western Ghats, which is home to more than 30% of all of India’s wildlife species, including the world’s largest population of wild Asiatic elephants and tigers,” the company said in a statement.
According to an official statement, Amazon’s direct contribution will enable CWS to partner with 2,000 family farms and plant 300,000 trees over three years. The trees will help to expand land area for animals and reduce human-wildlife conflict through the creation of natural buffer zones, while also bringing in higher-value trees for the farmers compared to other subsistence crops.
“The Asia-Pacific region is home to vast forests and rich coastal environments, but it is also highly vulnerable to climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation. To protect the region from the impacts of climate change and preserve biodiversity, we will need both large-scale and local action – and we’re committed to investing in both,” said Kara Hurst, Amazon’s Global VP for Sustainability.
CWS will also use project funds to develop state-of-the-art monitoring systems using drone and remote sensing technology and on-the-ground surveys to verify program outcomes, advancing research on the potential positive impact of farmers on reforestation opportunities, it said.
Dr. Krithi Karanth, executive director, CWS stated, “We have designed the Wild Carbon program with an unwavering commitment to wildlife conservation, and also poverty alleviation through livelihood support. By partnering with and incentivizing farmers to be part of the solution, we will be able to facilitate buffer habitats for tigers, elephants and other endangered species. Amazon’s support enables us to plan and build a program that is self-sustaining in the long-term. The farmers will receive upfront support to select tree types that serve both their livelihoods and the wildlife, whilst also receiving technical assistance, agroforestry training, and support for replanting failed saplings.”
In 2019, Amazon co-founded ‘The Climate Pledge’, committing to reach net-zero carbon by 2040 — 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement.
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