reforestation - Green Prophet

Nature as Capital at COP30 and how blended finance and debt-for-nature swaps work

Karin Kloosterman — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 09:05:14 +0000

Jubail mangrove wal in Abu Dhabi

Belém’s COP30 puts forests, freshwater and oceans at center stage. How are emerging markets treating nature as infrastructure— and plugging it into finance and trade. We know that the world has reached the coral tipping point, and as you are busy saving the trees and oceans, know how activists, locals, banks and business can work together. Learn the lingo of finance mechanisms to help save the planet.

Everyone will cover the headlines from the United Nation’s climate conference, this year called COP30 and which is in Belém, Brazil. Fewer will explain the mechanics of how nature becomes cashflow, trade leverage and resilience infrastructure—especially for the Global South. That’s the gap we’re filling. Green Prophet offers a practical question: what instruments exist right now to turn living systems into value chains that stand up to droughts, floods and supply-chain shocks? And how can MENA, Africa and Latin America lead instead of only react.

Know your terminology if you want to follow the conversations in the room

Blended Finance

Econcrete restores coastal habitats with low-cost concrete that mimics a natural shoreline.

Blended finance is the engine room. Public and philanthropic “first-loss” capital de-risks deals; commercial investors come in behind. The aim is to move beyond pilot projects into pipelines that pay for restoration at scale. The World Bank’s recent review shows a surprising depth of activity in nature-based infrastructure, with millions of people already benefiting from coastal and watershed projects that reduce disaster risk while growing local economies.

Let’s take an example we can get behind: Imagine there is huge project to fix a coastline that’s getting destroyed by storms over and over again. We know that planting mangrove trees and building natural barriers to protect homes and schools works. But who pays for this, especially in developing nations like Thailand, where government money might be tight, especially on small islands.

Thailand’s, and Saudi Arabian mangrove forests can help mitigate climate change by keeping rising tides and storms at bay

The problem is that it costs a lot to plant and maintain mangrove trees and natural barriers, and even less natural ones like the ones built by Eco-Concrete in costal areas of New York. There is a lot of good reasons why protecting coastlines are good: tourism, business and stability to invest in a region pay off in the long term.

So how does blended finance work? Big investors might not build a university or a business center in an at-risk area like Indonesia because its islands are at-risk from flooding. They watch as government and charities go first to build pilot projects. These groups take the first losses and are buffered to do so. When investors see a project or pilot is working, the investors and banks can join in.

The end result is that if it’s a project on island resilience, and it’s done well with the local community, the fishermen get more fish, the houses and infrastructure don’t flood, and tourism and businesses in the area improve. Now instead of the government or local municipality working to clean up new disasters as they happen, the community and investors protect a community and its economy.

Where this is doing well:
Indonesia: planting mangroves to protect coasts and create jobs, in Kenya where they are restoring forests to secure water for cities and farms and in Colombia, where they are rebuilding riversides to stop floods and boost tourism. The World Bank found millions of people already benefiting from nature-based projects like these. They’re not just experiments — but are becoming real business pipelines.

Debt for Nature Swaps

Debt-for-nature swaps are also keywords you will hear coming out of COP30 and debt-for-nature is having a moment. By refinancing sovereign debt of a nation and locking savings into conservation endowments, countries can protect mangroves, reefs and forests while improving fiscal stability.

The Bahamas’ swap—backed by private guarantees and insurers—unlocked roughly $124 million for ocean protection and mangrove recovery. Expect more hybrids like “blue bonds,” watershed bonds, and biodiversity-linked notes as COP30 pushes nature up the finance agenda.

Canada is beginning to explore similar nature-finance mechanisms. They are offering grants for businesses that support climate change initiatives. While small island nations pioneered debt-for-nature swaps, the logic applies anywhere natural assets protect economies. Take the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes Basin. This is a freshwater system worth trillions in trade, shipping, drinking water, hydropower, and fisheries — yet it faces rising storm surges, coastal erosion, surges in algae blooms, and biodiversity loss.

Imagine a Canadian “watershed bond” modelled on the Bahamas’ blue bond play: federal and provincial governments refinance aging municipal debt in water-adjacent cities like Toronto beaches, Kingston, Thunder Bay, and Windsor. Interest savings are then routed into a protected watershed fund to restore wetlands, rebuild fish nurseries, and reinforce natural floodplains that protect ports and neighborhoods.

Who backs it? Pension funds like CPP Investments, insurers hedging climate risk, and Indigenous-led stewardship trusts that secure long-term governance. Satellite and LiDAR data verify improved water quality, carbon storage, and flood protection — giving investors confidence that nature isn’t just a moral win, but a balance-sheet asset.

Nature Markets

Circle farming in Holland uses AI and nature together.

Nature markets are growing up fast — and not just carbon trading. Investors and governments are starting to put real contracts behind things like restoring habitats, protecting species, and improving fisheries. In the past, these ideas lived in Canva or PowerPoint presentations and pilot projects that didn’t go far beyond the anecdote stage. Today, they’re showing up in legal agreements, budgets, and deal pipelines.

What changed? Measurement tech and startups working in the impact space. We can now track how many fish return to a reef, how much flood damage is avoided when wetlands are restored, or how many species come back when forests regrow. When you can measure nature’s value, you can finance it. Also, investors found that impact companies can return significantly higher returns on investment.

The early winners will be projects that do more than one thing: reduce carbon, protect coasts, boost fishing incomes, create jobs, and improve water security. In short, projects and companies that score high in ESG. Instead of selling just one benefit, they’ll earn money from many revenue streams. The future natural economy isn’t supposed to be about charity — it’s revenue, resilience, and concepts like regenerative agriculture working together.

What to watch at COP30

A Brazil rainforest

Belém in Brazil may be remembered as the summit where nature moved from a side-event to system change. If you are there at the event, Look for bigger blended-finance vehicles for forests and watersheds, standardized biodiversity/ecosystem credit frameworks, clearer guidance on how trade tools like CBAM and deforestation-free rules interact with development and equity goals, and concrete deals in the Amazon and beyond that link restoration to export growth.

Media attention will swirl around politics, but the durable story is finance and how data can turn ecosystems, including jungles and seashore towns, into resilient value-chains.

Explore related coverage on Green Prophet

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Soccer star Hakan Çalhanoğlu kicks off massive reforestation project in Turkey with gamers from My Lovely Planet

Julie Steinbeck — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 14:15:59 +0000

Hakan Çalhanoğlu supporting reforestation with Hakan in Kuşadası

Football star Hakan Çalhanoğlu and his wife Sinem announced the creation of the Çalhanoğlu Forest, in partnership with My Lovely Planet (MLP), a Web3 mobile game that transforms gameplay into real-world tree planting.

Turkey is a natural paradise. Sailing along the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts reveals miles of untouched beaches, wild mountains, and fragrant forests. It is hard to believe such beauty still exists in a world where development and fire threaten our last remaining carbon sinks.

And thanks to a new initiative hosted by a football star and an online game, Turkey is about to get a lot more trees.

Last year, Green Prophet highlighted the inspiring story of Şehmus Erginoglu, a man in his 70s who spent 30 years planting 11,000 trees on a wasteland in his hometown of Mardin. His devotion transformed barren land into a living forest (read that story here). Like the French allegory The Man Who Planted Trees, Erginoglu proved that one person’s commitment can heal landscapes for future generations.

Sehmus Erginoglu poses with photo of trees he helped restore. (All pictures by Murat Bayram/MEE)

Today, football legend Hakan Çalhanoğlu is expanding this tradition of ecological heroism—through gaming online and in the real world.

A Forest Born from Football and Gaming

On September 18, 2025, international football star Hakan Çalhanoğlu and his wife Sinem announced the creation of the Çalhanoğlu Forest, in partnership with My Lovely Planet (MLP), a Web3 mobile game that transforms gameplay into real-world tree planting.

“Football has given me so much, and now I want to give something back, not just to my country, but to the world,” said Çalhanoğlu. “With My Lovely Planet, fans can have fun and directly join me in bringing impact while enjoying the game. Together, we can make gaming meaningful.”

MLP has already planted 380,000 trees worldwide. Built by the gaming veterans behind Candy Crush, Royal Match, and Fortnite, and selected by Google’s #WeArePlay program, the game proves that the hours people spend swiping screens can translate into ecological recovery.

“We’re building more than a game. We’re building a movement where entertainment fuels real-world action,” said Clément Le Bras, Founder and CEO of My Lovely Planet. “The Kuşadası project is just the beginning – and partnering with Hakan allows us to inspire millions of fans to make a difference, one download at a time.”

Healing After the Fires

Land after the fires: My Lovely Planet play-to-restore app for ecological reforestation

The Çalhanoğlu Forest will take root in Kuşadası, Aydın Province, an area devastated by wildfires June, 2024. Like in Europe, Los Angeles, and Canada, Turkey has suffered massive losses from climate change–driven fires. Rebuilding these landscapes requires urgent cooperation and long-term monitoring.

The initiative’s first phase will plant 10,000 saplings, covering an area equivalent to 50 football fields. This reforestation effort is financed by Çalhanoğlu himself. Native species—Turkish pine (Pinus brutia), oak (Quercus spp.), and select fruit/value trees—will ensure resilience against future droughts and fires.

But Phase 1 is only the beginning. Because planting trees and taking care of them requires a village. Coldplay figured this out after they planted mango trees that later died.

In Phase 2, gamers worldwide can download My Lovely Planet, play, and directly contribute to planting more trees alongside Hakan and Sinem. Each in-game action unlocks a real-world tree, grown under the supervision of the Turkish Tohum Association (Tohum Eğitim Kültür ve Doğa Derneği).

This system of play-to-restore means ecological recovery is no longer limited to philanthropists or governments—it becomes a collective, gamified mission accessible to anyone with a smartphone.

MLP’s approach is simple but radical: entertainment should have an ecological consequence. Every swipe, match, or level passed results in tangible reforestation.

This concept mirrors earlier environmental movements where people were encouraged to plant a tree for every child born, or every wedding celebrated. I planted a fig tree when I got married and an olive tree when my daughter was born – but that’s just a few trees. MLP scales it for the digital generation: trees for every download, every victory, every hour of fun.

By embedding reforestation into daily play, the initiative bypasses the apathy often felt toward distant environmental problems. Climate action becomes seamless, enjoyable, and habitual.

Legacy, Literature, and Lessons

The Man Who Planted Trees was made into a short film

As a teenager in Canada, I remember reading The Man Who Planted Trees (L’homme qui plantait des arbres) by French author Jean Giono. It told the story of Elzéard Bouffier, a shepherd who spent decades reforesting a barren valley in Provence. Though fictional, the story inspired countless people to believe in the quiet power of persistence. There is also the story of Miss Rumphius, popular today as a children’s book about a woman who dedicated her life to planting lupine seeds.

Today, Çalhanoğlu’s project echoes that message—while updating it for the digital age. Instead of one shepherd or one man from Mardin planting alone, millions can now plant together with their thumbs. The symbolism is powerful: a footballer, known for precision and endurance, redirecting the energy of his fans toward something larger than sport.

The Çalhanoğlu Forest also demonstrates how global cooperation can emerge in unexpected forms. It links international sport, tech innovation, grassroots NGOs, and climate resilience into a single story of hope.

In a world increasingly defined by division, here is a chance to unite over something universal: the need for shade, clean air, and forests for our children. So, plant a tree. Play a game. And make Miss Rumphius proud.

::My Lovely Planet

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How doTERRA, like its name, is offering gifts of the Earth

Bhok Thompson — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 13:13:05 +0000

Unwrap the ways doTERRA, which means “gift of the Earth,” is giving back through humanitarian causes.

DoTERRA, derived from the Latin phrase “donum terrae,” meaning “gift of the Earth,” is rooted in intention when creating its essential oils. Since its inception in 2008, doTERRA has dedicated itself to providing the highest-quality essential oils. To date, doTERRA has helped more than 1.5 million people through its charitable projects, according to its 2023 impact report.

It all began with a group of health care and business professionals who recognized the extraordinary benefits of essential oils. They embarked on a mission to introduce these natural gifts to the world, establishing a new standard of quality in the industry: CPTG Certified Pure Tested Grade.

Emily Wright, a founding executive and chair of the board at doTERRA, had spent a decade working in the essential oil industry but had a desire to go deeper and source better oils.

“Reflecting on the beginning of doTERRA is a humbling exercise, and one that always brings me powerful insight. In the early days, funds were tight. As owners, we did not pay ourselves a salary, living instead off our savings. Extra expenses were out of the question!” Wright posted on LinkedIn.

“As doTERRA continued to grow, and as we navigated challenges and setbacks, that quote became a source of reassurance,” Wright said. “We believed in the beauty of what we could create, and so we pushed forward.”

The doTERRA founders began to dream and eventually turned their vision into reality.

Empowering Communities Through Essential Oils

Today, doTERRA’s commitment extends to environmental efforts, including a reforestation project in Hawaii, and a focus on achieving carbon neutrality by reducing emissions and increasing efficiency.

The entity’s impact extends beyond individual wellness to global community support and environmental sustainability. Through its Co-Impact Sourcing initiatives, the company partners with local growers worldwide, supporting ethical practices and enhancing the livelihoods of communities.

“Central to our Co-Impact Sourcing mission is the protection of the environment and the fair treatment of harvesters and growers within our sourcing areas,” Ben Platt, director of strategic sourcing development, said in a press release. “By sourcing our essential oils from regions where plants thrive naturally, we strive to preserve biodiversity and work to foster sustainable livelihoods for communities around the world. We are immensely grateful to our sourcing partners who share our commitment to the Earth and its gifts.”

How the doTERRA Healing Hands Foundation Is a Force For Positive Change

There is also the doTERRA Healing Hands Foundation, which funds projects focused on empowering communities such as helping children in Kenya gain access to clean drinking water.

The situation is dire in Kenya, where many rely on surface water, shallow wells, and hand pumps. The water sources often prove unreliable, time-consuming, and unsafe, often burdening children who should be attending school with the task of fetching water for their families. Through a partnership with Fairoils, doTERRA Healing Hands provided Mwamose Primary School in doTERRA’s tea tree and lemon eucalyptus sourcing area with a reliable drinking water source. A reverse osmosis system funded by the brand’s European market now offers desalinated water to 1,250 students and the broader community.

The brand is also helping people in rural Nepal get potable water. The high costs of constructing and maintaining clean water sources force many, especially women, to fetch water from public taps, consuming much of their time. To address this, doTERRA Healing Hands collaborated with Choice Humanitarian. This partnership has led to over 200 homes receiving private water connections, the construction of reservoirs, and improved access to affordable, safe drinking water for two villages. This ongoing collaboration continues to empower Nepalese communities toward health, safety, and self-reliance.

From replanting trees in Maui, Hawaii, after the island was ravaged by fires, to increasing medical care in Madagascar and helping blind students in Thailand, the doTERRA Healing Hands Foundation is doing its part to make a difference.

“From the very beginning, doTERRA wanted to establish a pattern of giving,” said Mark Wolfert, doTERRA founding executive. “The doTERRA culture begins with the desire to give, help, and empower others. We accomplish this through our daily business operations, Co-Impact Sourcing, and the doTERRA Healing Hands Foundation.”

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Reforestation in Iran revives traditional food and creates jobs

Karin Kloosterman — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 18:39:06 +0000

Amidst the picturesque desert landscapes of Rigan in Iran, one community is witnessing a remarkable revival of its culinary tradition while upholding environmental sustainability.

Such a transformation is the fruit of the Rehabilitation of Forest Landscapes and Degraded Lands (RFLDL) project, an initiative led by the United Nations (FAO) and funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

The project has become a catalyst for economic empowerment and environmental conservation in Rigan, with local communities and rural women at its core.

Known for its cultivation of dates, citrus, sesame and henna, Rigan nonetheless faces a significant threat from desertification. Characterized by its expansive plains and towering mountains, Rigan experiences temperatures that can soar above 50 degrees Celsius during the peak of summer. The area is dotted with date palms and citrus orchards that thrive in its more tropical zones. See how Lake Urmia in Iran has dried up due to human mismanagement.

Land degradation and biodiversity loss is common in Iran, primarily due to unsustainable agricultural practices and deforestation. These issues are compounded by overgrazing, excessive harvests of forest products and the relentless movement of sands, all of which exacerbate wind erosion and diminish the efficacy of watershed ecosystems.

FAO distributed 750 gas ovens drastically cutting down deforestation while helping increase the production of the traditional Komaj bread, transforming it from a household staple to a source of income. ©FAO/Mehdi Ansari Jovini

Communities have traditionally depended on wood and shrubs for fuel for their mud ovens, a practice that further led to deforestation and environmental degradation.

As one of its responses, the UN project distributed 750 gas ovens and 500 wood-efficient stoves, especially when compared to mud stoves, cutting down deforestation while helping the revival of the traditional Komaj bread making.

Komaj bread, a delicacy infused with the sweetness of dates and aromatic cardamom, complemented by the earthy tones of cumin—a staple spice of the region—is at the heart of this revival.

The switch to gas furnaces has enabled the women of Rigan to increase the production of Komaj bread, transforming it from a household staple to a source of income. This shift not only preserves a treasured culinary tradition but also provides new economic prospects for the community’s women, who can sell their product at the local markets, further contributing to their economic resilience.

Together with implementing activities, such as planting organic windbreakers, constructing watershed management structures and setting up sediment traps, the reduced necessity of clearing trees and bushes for fuel improved the status of dryland forests and range and decreased the severity of wind erosion on almost 75,000 hectares of land in both Rigan and South Khorasan.

In Rigan, in particular, the project supported villages to restore 2,250 hectares of farm and rangeland by growing drought- and saline- resistant plants. 1,650 of these hectares were planted with species that can be safely irrigated by wastewater.

In an effort to diversify income sources away from solely forest products, the project encouraged the cultivation of alfalfa, date trees and medicinal plants, as well as the breeding of turkeys. Additionally, it supported a range of craft and artisan skills such as needlework, sewing, handicrafts and the spinning of palm fibres.

In Israel people like Yossi Oud are starting such projects which help Muslim women start small craft businesses by beekeeping.

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How The Great NFTrees, Metaverse & Digiverse Can Change The Middle-East

William Kwende — Thu, 20 Oct 2022 07:43:29 +0000

Me on the right, William Kawende, planting trees for the Great Green Wall project

For the longest time, the Middle East, has been considered to be a rife area of the world, due to the sea of oil they sit on, and hence, peace has been difficult to obtain while driven by money. Continuing to seek transformation in Dubai, to be the world’s best city to live, work and invest, the government are now planning to achieve this goal in maintaining a higher level of global competitiveness within the Metaverse.

Most recently, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, the UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai directed the formation of a higher committee to prepare the Dubai Metaverse strategy. Appointed the head of the committee is, Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who most recently announced a new ‘metaverse strategy’ and one that will create 40,000 new virtual jobs and add $4 billion to the city’s GDP in five years- as reported by Fortune, and according to a Monday tweet:

“While the details are scant, it is reported that the pillars of the plan include fostering ‘metaverse innovation and economic contribution’, cultivating metaverse talent, and developing metaverse use cases and applications within the Dubai government.”

I founded Agritech (since 2005), and it is a company that focuses on achieving sustainable development goals by training farmers in the West African Sahel and supporting local economics. I had been working on a project called ‘Zero Carbon, Zero Deforestation Shea Value Chain’ since 2010, and creating interconnected ecovillages to provide renewable fuel, power and other sustainable agricultural tech to the region.

Furthermore, I am steering the Great Green Wall initiative towards a sustainable value chain oriented implementation strategy with the technology Serious Shea has developed.

I believe the Middle East and Dubai would be a perfect place for an incubator project he’s been developing, which is focused on nature based solution and restoration, as well as fit for what I call the DigiReal Multiverse. I believe this as the Middle East continues to welcome millions of people, and the population has grown so much in recent years, meaning that more trees are need in order to provide oxygen for this rising population.

The Middle East and Dubai are quickly becoming the heart and symbol of globalisation and leadership both in economic development and transformation. Like the rest of the world and my home Africa, we are unfortunate witnesses to the unprecedented climate breakdown, subsequent to pollution and the destruction of the strategic climate infrastructure, our primary ecosystems.

As the accelerating cost of catastrophic climate events threatens to cancel economic growth in many parts of the globe , the world is mobilising to find solutions and change the habits responsible for this mayhem.

I moved to Dubai almost 9 year ago to take advantage of the strategic location for innovation and trading. Our companies Golden Organics and SeriousShea are dedicated to finding solutions for a better future in Africa and beyond by developing nature based solutions and innovative food stuff.

We believe that technology can greatly contribute to finding a solution and have started with the support of global organisations like the African Development Bank, The World Bank and the World Economic forum to work on nature based business models with a positive impact on the environment and our climate in the Sahel around the Great Green Wall Initiative.

The Great Green Wall is an African-led movement with an epic ambition to grow an 8,000km natural wonder of the world across the entire width of Africa from Senegal to Djibouti across 13 countries. The Wall promises to be a compelling solution to the many urgent threats not only facing the African Continent, but the global community as a whole – notably climate change, drought, famine, conflict and migration. Once complete, the Great Green Wall will be the largest living structure on the planet, 3 times the size of the Great Barrier Reef.

The Great Green Wall corresponds to the northern boundary of the millennial Shea belt which speaks for its role as the indigenous ecosystem for climate and desertification control. The Shea, Baobab, Acacias trees are vital social, environmental and economic crops (i.e shea butter—a multimillion-dollar ingredient used in cosmetics, personal care products, pharmaceuticals and chocolate, Acacia – Arabic Gum used in many industrial food processes ).

Selected as ‘Global Top Innovator’ by the World Economic through uplink and 1T.org (one Trillion Trees initiative). Agritech are members of the public private 1T.org Sahel Coalition to accelerate our impact driving with the other 1T.ORG and the collective action of ecopreneurs, government, businesses and civil society to unlock restoration at scale in the Sahel! They plan to plant 1 billions trees by 2030 and support the development of the value chains using their innovations.

Our first innovation recognizes the importance of developing sustainable value chains, protection and repopulating the trees in the sahel. They have developed a Zero Carbon and deforestation value chain based on mini industrial processing units running on a mix of renewable energies. This enables remote communities to process the harvest from the trees and export them globally to generate their own revenues and contribute to the global food supply which is under a lot of stress, the potential from the Sahel exceeds 50 billions USD in various ingredients and foodstuffs.

The second innovation is the use of blockchain to insure the integrity of all our processes including the traceability and the carbon footprint of our plantations, ingredients and foodstuffs.

Finally, one of the most interesting is our third innovation in partnership with KALOSCOPE is the creation of our Great NFTREE and our Great Green Multiverse to help mobilise resources and raise awareness about the global importance of the Sahel ecosystem for its people and the World climate stability. It’s a unique use of technology to create a DIGIREALTY ecosystem to allow people and corporations around the world to contribute ideas, funds, technologies and connect with the people of the Sahel.

Kaloscope is a decentralised social media platform, and in recent months added me to its board as its Strategic Sustainability Advisor. The Great NFTrees project will see users to purchase tree NFTs connected to geo-tagged locations and the actual planting of these trees in Africa’s Great Green Wall and aims to grow one trillion trees across 8,000 km stretch of land in Africa.

It is within an app, where users will be able to display their metaverse spaces and purchases, and use ‘perkabilities’ a host of ‘perks’ and ‘utilities’. For example collectors might get access to exclusive events, a one-to-one conversation with me, for having minted and holding the NFT. It is also noteworthy that ninety percent of revenue form the project will be minted on the Polygon blockchain and take place later in the year, as the website is still in development, and will go towards the Great Green Wall Project. As for the remaining ten percent it will cover administrative costs as Kaloscope plans to allow collectors to purchase these with various cryptocurrencies.

Planting trees for the Great Green Wall

One can see how this particular project, can, as I have already pointed out, also reach other parts of the world like the Middle East, as they are in definite need of it. Such a project could possibly include attaching carbon credits to the Great NFTrees. While current carbon markets are known to be complex, this may be a way via the blockchain to truly contribute to solid sustainability efforts in all areas and possibly also the Middle East as they plan their next endeavour for this new market place. It is because the Middle-East is also feeling the full impact of climate change.

Having a growing number of initiatives in the UAE and Saudi to scale the plantation of trees and restore ecosystems, we are now connecting with innovators and governments to share our experience and technologies in scaling up nature based systems and solutions for the greater good. Finally, we have welcomed our first partners in Germany, GmbH, Zammit International and ELCON LED GmbH, to be one of the first companies to be part of a coalition and alliance of global corporations for The Great Green Wall via the NFTrees.

Together we, at Golden Organics is focussing on achieving Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) sustainability (for the water-energy-food nexus, including by developing and training clusters of farmers in the West African Sahel through to global trading). We have already started with the first hectares of the Great NFtrees planted in early September 2022. And from this, I also invite those interested in rebuilding global trust and restoration of the planet to join me to plant one tree at a time.

About William Kwende

William Kwende is the CEO of Agritech which is the sustainable umbrella company for Global Organics & Serious Shea that is leading the project, The Great Green Wall. The NFTrees is a part of the project- the digital aspect of it. Kwende is a partner of Kaloscope, the Strategic Sustainability Advisor towards efforts to introduce Economic Social Governance (ESG) into the metaverse.

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Saudi Arabian women are planting a million mangroves

Faisal O'Keefe — Thu, 04 Dec 2014 13:46:40 +0000

Rewilding Saudi Arabia? Not so long ago, forests of majestic mangrove trees fringed the eastern shores of Saudi Arabia. Official stats now estimate that only 10% of the forest remains. Decades of landfill operations in support of growing urbanization destroyed the rest. Now a group of female environmental activists are battling to protect what remains.

Mangrove trees (also called shura, qurm and Ibn Sina) are evergreens that thrive in saline tidal areas along the tropical and subtropical coastlines. They range from one to five meters in height, and anchor to tidal ground with an elaborate system of exposed root structures which provide essential habitat for many marine species. including shrimp. They also provides a welcome environment for marine organisms to reproduce, particularly the Caridea. These species represent an important part of the coastal ecosystem, supplying and important feedstock for birds and fish.

Mangroves in Abu Dhabi have become a feature and the backdrop to a park

Mangrove trees provide other benefits. They increase levels of oxygen and cut levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, helping to reduce global warming. The trees absorb some of the chemical contaminants in their micro-environment, including oil pollution. Further, they increase green spaces, especially in the desert regions, and absorb high energy wave action and storm surge.

Women activists, spearheaded by Najwa Mohammed Bukhari, have been underpinning the cause to “save the mangroves” on the coast of al-Qatif governorate. She and the female members of Supporters of the Environment and Volunteers Association, consider mangrove protection key in the wider mission to protect Saudi’s waterfront. They’ve teamed up with the al-Ataa Charity Association for Women, working to meet their common goals.

Dalal al-Awami, head of al-Ataa’s health and environment team, told Al-Hayat,“We are making strenuous efforts to protect the environment through our communication with supporters. We got in touch with the Saif Association at Saudi Aramco and they agreed to cooperate.”

Saudi Arabian mangroves. via the organization

Just five women took part in the first campaign, but she stressed that “there has been an unexpected change” in the second and third campaigns. There are now over a hundred female volunteers spanning all ages and backgrounds.

“Everyone is working toward the same goal. Parents (have) encouraged their sons and daughters to join in this work with the aim of instilling in them the importance of volunteering, a concept generally absent from society, particularly in the fields of agriculture and environment,” Awami added, “By raising awareness we elevate the level of culture among people of the region. This might be done by organizing lectures, distributing leaflets and through social networking sites. This is how we manage to attract hundreds of volunteers and receive positive feedback.”

In the two years since the campaign launch, the women have made an enormous impact. Volunteers have attracted political support, which has led to a reduction in practices harmful to the forests. Their actions prompted Saudi Aramco, the world’s biggest oil producer, to announced a plan to plant 1.2 million mangrove trees on the coast of the kingdom over the next four years.

In Saudi, it looks like behind every thriving mangrove, there’s a strong woman.

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The Lebanese Cedar Survival Passes Tipping Point?

Linda Pappagallo — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 11:07:32 +0000

The cedar tree, Lebanon’s national symbol , has been for centuries overused by various civilizations. Reforestation might not bring them back from the brink.

The Cedar of Lebanon, Cedrus Libani, is an evergreen coniferous plant native to Lebanon, Syria and southern Turkey. Cedar forests once covered the entire Mount Lebanon chain but the cedar,an emblem of Lebanese patriotism, now represents only 2,000 hectares (0.4% of original estimated forest cover).

The history of Lebanon’s cedar tree decline is long. The superb quality of the cedar wood in terms of color, hardness, fragrance, resistance to insects humidity and temperature has made it one of the most sought after raw materials, resulting in mass deforestation. The sheer significance of the cedar of Lebanon to various civilizations and religions can be illustrated through its uses.

The Egyptians used its resin in the mummification process and thus called it the “life of death”, furthermore cedar sawdust was found in the tombs of the Pharaohs because the aromatic hydrocarbons (phenols) that are given off by the sawdust repel fleas, moths and poison rats.

Pharaohs and Pagans would burn the cedar coming from Lebanon in their ceremonies. According to Jews, priests were ordered by Moses to use the peel of the Lebanese Cedar in circumcision and treatment of leprosy. The Talmud suggests Jews used to burn Lebanese cedar wood on the mountain of olives announcing the beginning of the New Year (Rosh Hashannah coming up next week).

The Phoenicians built their trade ships and military fleets from cedar wood as well as the roofs of their temples, houses and doorsills. Kings of neighboring and distant countries used this hardy wood to build their religious and civil constructions: the most famous of which are the temple of Jerusalem and David’s and Solomon’s palaces.

In recent years degradation has intensified and between 1990 and 1995 more than 30 percent of the Lebanese forests are estimated to have disappeared leading to fragmentation and loss of the integrity of forest ecosystems.

Deforestation aside, a relatively more uncontrollable phenomenon – climate change will reduce the remaining cedar populations by even more.

Cedars need a minimum amount of snow and rain for natural regeneration, in Lebanon they grow best at elevations of 1300 m to 2100 m, in deep soil on slopes facing the sea. The trees require a lot of light and about 40 inches (1000 mm) of rain a year.

But global warming has meant Lebanon’s cedars are being subjected to shorter winters and less snow, the Lebanese government estimates that snow cover could be cut by 40% by 2040 and maximum temperatures will rise by 1 degree celsius on the coast and 2 degree celsius inland. T

he cedars thus suddenly face harsher and more unsuitable climatic conditions with little time to adapt resulting in lower uptake rates for younger seedlings. A secondary problem is that, whereas previously subzero conditions and cold snowy winters contained the development of insects such as Cephalcia tannourinensis, now these insects have greater windows of opportunity to become more active and have faster development rates. This means there are more frequent outbreaks of insect related diseases which further weaken the cedar tree and makes them more susceptible to other diseases and insects which ultimately kill the tree.

Although there are plenty of reforestation projects, which have helped maintain the situation under control, Lebanon (as well as the rest of the world) need to endorse climate mitigation and adaptation practices in order to seriously tackle this issue.

Unfortunately it might already be too late, in the last ten years shorter ski seasons in Lebanon already indicate a changed climate pattern. It is perhaps time that the IUCN red list of threatened species recategorizes the Cedrus Libani from “lower risk/least concern” to “vulnerable”.

Image via Layal Boustany

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