Treevive has been set up as a forest carbon accelerator. This means we support forest owners – local communities, businesses, nature conservation organizations, etc. – to develop a carbon element to enhance the financial viability of restoring and conserving their forests. Given the current rate of global deforestation and forest degradation, scale and speed of this work is of the essence. Just to give you a sense of feeling, the planet lost an area of tree cover larger than the UK in 2020, including more than 4.2M hectares of primary tropical forests. The amount of CO2 that was released into the atmosphere because of this accounts for 8% of the world’s annual CO2 emissions. If tropical deforestation were a country, it would be the third-biggest emitter globally.
At the same time restoring forests offers an affordable and scalable solution to mitigate climate change. Studies show that over a third of what is needed to draw greenhouse gasses out of the atmosphere to maintain a stable climate can be delivered by Nature-Based Solutions. So, we need to act now, fast and at scale. Yet at the same time, it must be done without compromising on quality and integrity. By actively involving local communities and ensuring they benefit from what is being created. And by creating projects that foster and strengthen biodiversity.
To deliver the high quality that is not only expected of us, but that we also intrinsically want to realize, we teamed up with Form International. This specialized forestry advisory and management organization has extensive experience in forest (carbon) projects, both as a consultant and as a project proponent. Their seasoned tropical foresters, carbon experts, and financial modellers help Treevive and the forest owners to realize best-in-class investment-ready projects, certified against the most recognized standard(s).
By the end of 2023, Treevive is delivering services to 9 project proponents. These projects are in different stages of development. Some already meet the needs of investors who seek high-quality, bankable projects for their carbon and broader sustainability commitments. Treevive has successfully connected several investors to projects and has sold the first certified carbon credits on the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM).
Treevive acts as a revolving structure in this; with generated profits seamlessly channelling into the funding of new forest projects. That is why in the past two years, we dedicated significant time and energy to fundraising, laying the foundation for Treevive’s establishment and operational readiness. We are proud of our collaboration with Good Energies Foundation and FMO: Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank and expect others to join soon.
We live in volatile times, in many ways. One of the relevant challenges for Treevive is the uncertainty of the VCM, especially around conservation projects which avoid carbon from being released into the atmosphere. We emphasize the need to continue to invest in the conservation of what is still there, also from a biodiversity perspective. And yes, some VCM tools need improvement and are being improved as we speak.
We appreciate our committed partners and are aligned in our commitment to keep investing in these projects as \ there is no better tool in place to do this at the speed and scale required. In this first progress report, we proudly reflect on the steps we have made thus far and eagerly anticipate the journey ahead, as we strive to create significant impact.