Funding is part of global AZ Forest commitment to plant 200 million trees across six continents by 2030
AstraZeneca, a global pharmaceutical company, has announced a $71 million in funding in India to plant and maintain an estimated 64 million plants and trees, as part of its global AZ Forest programme.
The company is collaborating with Earthbanc, Earthtree, Worldview Impact (India) and Hill Farmers Shiitake Mushroom Coop Society on the ‘Meghalaya Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project’ (Regeneration Meghalaya), a 30-year regenerative horticulture and agriculture project in north east India.
The project aims to support farmers restore 22,670 hectares, supporting biodiversity and soil conservation, as well as climate and catchment health co-benefits. Many of the species will be suitable for farmers to sustainably produce agricultural and agroforestry non-timber commodities, including essential oils and foods that align with the State Government of Meghalaya Aromatics Policy, and crop management that aligns with the Organic and Natural Farming Policy.
Around 200,000 trees have been planted with and now with the official project launch, soil and water conservation work is underway to enable further planting of millions of trees in 2024. Biophysical indicators such as biomass, soil organic carbon, land productivity and land cover will be monitored, in alignment with the UNCCD Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) Global Mechanism, of which Government of India is a key signatory.
The project will be the largest in a network of Circular Bioeconomy Alliance's (CBA) “Living Labs for Nature, People and Planet”. These connected initiatives, follow a science-based framework for sustainable, resilient and locally appropriate landscape regeneration co-developed by the European Forest Institute (EFI), the CBA and AstraZeneca.
Juliette White, Vice President Global Sustainability, AstraZeneca, said: “We’re proud to be increasing tree cover worldwide through our global AZ Forest initiative, and to be partnering with experts to ensure reforestation that supports local communities, climate action, human health and nature. As part of our commitment to plant and maintain 200 million trees by 2030, in India, our collaboration with Earthbanc will restore nature in a degraded biodiversity hotspot while supporting farming livelihoods.”
Tom Duncan, Earthbanc, CEO, said: “This large-scale regeneration project is a very exciting opportunity that we are pleased to support in collaboration with our partners. We are impressed with the policies and programs of the State Government of Meghalaya and the Government of India, and we see the AZ Forest initiative with its focus on circular bioeconomy as very positive for the climate, communities, ecosystem health and a sustainable economy. We are looking forward to seeing this project launch and to helping create a healthy planet together.”
Louise Baker, Managing Director of the Global Mechanism of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD): “This is a wonderful example of private sector leadership and joined up thinking in land stewardship. Earthbanc and its partners are fighting climate change and delivering for people and the land at the same time. The project’s strong focus on developing sustainable value chains that ensure farmers’ livelihoods will also mean land degradation stops as land cover, productivity and soil organic carbon all increase. Everyone benefits!”
Alex Ellis, British High Commissioner to India, said: “I congratulate AstraZeneca and everyone involved in their conservation of forests and biodiversity across the world. Protecting, restoring, and sustainably managing nature is an important element of India’s ambitious carbon sink target and is a UK priority at the COP28 climate summit. Addressing climate change requires action from us all, everywhere, from companies to governments to citizens.”
Dr. Mazel Ampareen Lyngdoh: “In the heart of Meghalaya, a green revolution is underway 'Regeneration Meghalaya' is not just a project; it is a commitment to plant hope, nurture sustainability, and grow a future where nature and agriculture thrive in harmony. Let us join hands with these determined associations as we plant 64 million trees and plants across 22,000 hectares. Together, let us cultivate a legacy of abundance.”
Notes
AZ Forest
AZ Forest is AstraZeneca’s commitment to plant and maintain over 200 million trees by 2030, in partnership with experts and local communities. AZ Forest projects support planetary and human health with significant socio-economic co-benefits, and are part of AstraZeneca’s science-based net zero strategy, Ambition Zero Carbon.2,7
Three-quarters of land globally have been significantly altered by human activities, with profound effects on ecosystems and population health.8,9 Reforestation is a nature-based solution which can mitigate the effects of climate change as it removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and contributes to climate adaptation and resilience.10 Through safeguarding water resources, promoting food security and nutrition, lowering surface and air temperatures and combatting air pollution, restoring forest landscapes and biodiversity supports human health, with additional benefits for communities and economies.11,12
AZ Forest will include the use of the latest innovations in remote sensing and high-resolution imagery, and long-term monitoring will track the health of trees, soil and water quality and biodiversity, as well as carbon sequestration.
Building on projects underway in Australia, Indonesia, Ghana, the UK and the US, the expansion of AZ Forest includes new and expanded projects across Africa, Asia and South America:
· Brazil: A new 30-year AZ Forest partnership with Biofílica and Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas (IPE) called “Corridors for Life” will plant 12 million trees within the Atlantic Forest, with over 100 native species planned in each project area. Creating ecological corridors between fragmented pockets of forests in the west of São Paulo state, this programme will create an important habitat for vulnerable and endangered species.
· India: A new 30-year AZ Forest partnership with Earthbanc on a Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods project in Meghalaya state in north-east India, will plant an estimated 64 million trees, focusing on a diverse mix of agroforestry species. The project is expected to be the largest CBA “Living Lab”. It will restore nature in this degraded biodiversity hotspot while improving livelihoods for 26,000 households.
· Ghana: An expansion of the existing AZ Forest programme in Ghana with the CBA, New Generation Plantation Technical Assistance (NGPTA) and other partners will see an additional 1.6 million trees planted and maintained, bringing the total targeted number of surviving trees to 4.7 million, and restoring over 8,000 hectares of degraded areas in the Atebubu-Amantin and Sene West districts of central Ghana. This community-led programme, part of a network of “Living Labs”, seeks to boost forest restoration, agroforestry, biodiversity and nature-based business models for small-holder farmers.
· Kenya: We have pledged to plant up to six million trees in western Kenya. he reforestation project in Kenya will span six counties in the west of the country, adjacent to the Rift Valley, covering more than 3,500 hectares of land. The project will be amongst the first to use an advanced AI deep learning model to analyse drone footage and satellite imagery to monitor tree growth and health, while also quantifying levels of carbon sequestration. Harnessing new technological innovations, the programme aims to promote long-term tree health, increase biodiversity of flora and fauna, and generate an economic boost for local communities.
· Rwanda: AstraZeneca has provided seed funding to accelerate the development of a new 30-year project in partnership with the Albertine Rift Conservation Society (ARCOS) and Reforest’Action to plant around 5.8 million trees, investing in woodlots, agroforestry and climate resilience. Developed in line with CBA principles and with the aim to be another “Living Lab”, the “MuLaKiLa” project will benefit around 30,000 farming households, in what is one the largest forest restoration initiatives in Rwanda.
· Vietnam: AstraZeneca aims to plant around 20 million trees across 30,000 hectares to restore Vietnam’s forests and landscapes. This new investment will allow biodiversity to flourish, provide sustainable livelihoods for more than 20,000 small-holder farmers, improve diets and nutrition, and conserve soil and water.
· Additional projects are in development.
AZ Forest projects support planetary and human health with significant socio-economic co-benefits, as part of AstraZeneca’s science-based net zero strategy, Ambition Zero Carbon. By the end of 2022, over 10.5 million trees have been planted, despite a global pandemic, in:
· Australia: In partnership with Greening Australia and One Tree Planted, more than four million trees have been planted (total programme of 25 million), including 260 native tree species, supporting vulnerable and endangered wildlife species.
· Indonesia: In partnership with One Tree Planted and Trees4Trees, more than 3 million trees have been planted, with over 13,000 farmers opting into agroforestry activities in 2022.
· Ghana: Over 3 million trees have been planted, driving ecological and community resilience through the community-led “Living Lab” project in partnership with CBA.
· France: We have replanted 450 rare oak trees lost in the devastating storms of 1990 and 1999 at the Palace of Versailles. The oak trees provide a natural habitat for butterflies, birds, fungi and mammals, promoting biodiversity and bringing life back to the iconic gardens of Versailles.
· UK: More than 470,000 trees have been planted in Scotland and England with Forestry England and Borders Forest Trust Scotland, to create high-quality woodland areas that provide additional green space in support of physical and mental wellbeing.
· US: More than 100,000 trees have been planted to date, restoring more than 100 kilometers of riverside woodlands in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
Ambition Zero Carbon
Through its Ambition Zero Carbon strategy, AstraZeneca is pursuing ambitious, science-based decarbonisation targets, accelerating progress towards net-zero, and managing the risks and opportunities presented by climate change. The Company is on track to reduce GHG emissions from its global operations and fleet (Scope 1 and 2) by 98% by 2026 from a 2015 baseline. AstraZeneca aims to halve its entire value chain footprint (Scope 3) by 2030, on the way to a 90% absolute emissions reduction from a 2019 baseline and becoming science-based net zero by 2045 at the latest. AstraZeneca was one of the first seven companies globally to have its net-zero targets verified by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) Corporate Net-Zero Standard. Through AZ Forest, we will support high-quality, nature-based solutions to remove the residual emissions we have not eliminated, reduced or substituted, no greater than 10% of our 2019 emissions footprint.7