Working with Indigenous Tribes: How Greenchoice Makes an Impact with Forest Protection Globally By: Sabine Sluijters Biodiversity loss and CO2 emissions are the biggest threats to life on Earth. The Dutch energy company Greenchoice combats both by investing worldwide in protecting and planting forests. But how do you ensure that you really make an impact. “We want to be a catalyst so that local communities can protect their forest.” According to the IPCC, deforestation and forest degradation is one of the main causes of climate and biodiversity crises. It is responsible for 10 to 12 percent of all global emissions. Energy company Greenchoice spends around 2 million euros every year on protecting special ecosystems and creating new forests. It does this to offset the carbon footprint of the natural gas it sells to customers. The person responsible for this is Ruben Veefkind, Manager Sustainability and forestry projects at Greenchoice. We meet at the office in Rotterdam. Veefkind is trained in biogeochemistry. “Then you look at the whole system of biology, chemistry and the earth. The common thread in my career is the carbon cycle.” Budget He has been shaping the company's forestry projects for more than ten years. The size of the budget depends on the amount of gas that Greenchoice sells. “We supply forest-compensated gas. This means that we combine supplying natural gas to our customers with restoring nature and planting and protecting forests. When our customers buy gas, this is always compensated as standard. We set aside money for every cubic meter of gas. And all those little bits make up my budget.” He wants to invest that budget in such a way that it makes the most impact. There is a lot of calculation involved. Veefkind sets at least three conditions for the forestry projects in which Greenchoice invests. It must have enough CO2 impact, contribute to biodiversity and local communities must be able to benefit from it. Locals Greenchoice works closely with the local population in all projects. “The local communities, the people who live there, are the best protectors of the forest. So it is most effective to connect with that.” For example, Greenchoice supports the NGO Forcert, which helps the Tavolo community in New Britain (Papua New Guinea) to prevent illegal logging by a major international palm oil producer. That can be quite exciting, says Veefkind. For example, logging has taken place to the east of the area and local youths have recently had to fight to drive the shovels out of the area. “They really take the beating.” Another example of this is Chief Dadá of the Maró Indigenous Territory in Brazil. Greenchoice has been working with the Forest Forces Foundation since this year. Among other things, this organization wants to combat illegal logging in the indigenous Maró area in Pará, Brazil. The leader in that area, Chief Dadá, is under threat because of his efforts against illegal logging and needs permanent security. “This does not prevent him from drawing attention to the problems in the area. Before this, he was also in the Netherlands in November and attended a Greenchoice event as a guest. This Chief Dadá also plays a role in a new film about the climate commissioned by the Vatican. The militancy is really special. Without local involvement, forests would disappear. ” Plant and protect Together with partners, Greenchoice now protects 1.1 million hectares of forest. “I always try to have a mix of planting projects and protection projects. New trees remove CO2 from the air and can also stop deforestation.” In Kigoma, Tanzania, for example, Greenchoice supports the Jane Goodall Institute by planting trees. Some of those trees may be felled by the local population for material or fuel. “At the same time, we see that there is still an enormous amount of deforestation,” Veefkind continues. “And if you want to help biodiversity the most, you will have to protect old forests. An old ecosystem has so many more species than a new forest. That's why we want that mix." Mangrove forest How much CO2 impact a forest project has also depends on the type of forest. “A hectare of mangrove forest as we help restore in Guinea-Bissau together with Wetlands International captures much more CO2 per hectare than a hectare of tropical rainforest. And the savanna we protect in Zimbabwe captures much less. So you need a lot more hectares for the same impact.” Determining the ultimate impact depends on many factors. Greenchoice works together with external parties such as Face the Future. Because you can easily count yourself rich, says Veefkind. “You can also protect forests that are barely threatened. Then you would claim an amount of CO2, but you would not make an impact.” For that reason, Greenchoice also looks at additionality: would the project have continued if the company had not put any money into it? And whether a waterbed effect does not occur in which one area is protected, causing the neighboring forest to die. “Then you have only moved the problem.” Invest in the future Veefkind also considers the question of how permanent the investment is important. Because there is a danger that the forest will still be cut down if the project ends. That is why he wants to give the local population sufficient reasons to maintain the forest. In Papua New Guinea, Greenchoice invested in certifying the area for that reason. This means that the local population can sell CO2 rights for the protection of the area. Due to the rising CO2 price, that income can increase considerably. “With the current market prices for CO2, that could easily be a few million.” This goes into a fund and is a source of income for the local population. This gives them an extra reason to preserve the forest. “In this way, our forestry projects act as a catalyst.” Maintain yourself So far, the number of hectares that Greenchoice is protecting and planting is growing steadily. At the same time, the company is committed to reducing the natural gas consumption of its customers. And the better the company succeeds in this, the smaller Veefkind's budget becomes. But that doesn't mean he's stepping out of existing projects. “What we support now must continue in any case.” Maar de projecten moeten op termijn wel zichzelf in stand kunnen houden. Daarom bouwt Veefkind mechanismes in waardoor de lokale bevolking inkomsten kan genereren uit het bos. Bij de Tavolo-gemeenschap in Papoea-Nieuw-Guinea zijn dat de CO2-certificaten. In andere projecten is dat bijvoorbeeld ecotoerisme of het verkopen van noten, medicijnplanten of schimmels die het bos voortbrengt, zonder dat het daarvoor gekapt of aangetast wordt. Fotosynthese En ook in de aardgasvrije toekomst blijft er behoefte aan bosprojecten, denkt Veefkind. “Als we geen gas meer verkopen is het mijn droom een andere pot te hebben voor een deel van onze klanten. Hiermee kunnen we dan nog steeds projecten doen en blijven we optreden als katalysator. Want uiteindelijk willen we onze klanten klimaatpositief maken. Daarvoor zullen we CO2 uit de lucht moeten halen. Dat kan nog altijd het beste met de fotosynthese in bossen.”