Worldview International Foundation has now completed the planting at the Thor Heyerdahl Climate Park!
Dr. Arne Forjoft of WIF stated that the mangrove tree is a dawn of hope for our fragile planet. Our news today tells the story of how Worldview International Foundation showed commitment to the future of a livable planet. All through utilizing nature’s own methods for climate balance. Mangrove trees have been on our planet for a long time. They work without human interference and are game-changers to combat climate change. Adding to this, without any ask from humans they sequester more CO2 than many other trees on the planet.
At Starboard we plant with the Worldview International Foundation (WIF). They are the team that planted over half a million trees over for us over the last few years. Furthermore, the Worldview International Foundation pledged to plant one billion mangrove trees in climate parks in Myanmar. This huge target shows that no matter how huge your goal, using stepping stones is how it can be achieved.
How did Worldview International Foundation Obtain Their Goal Of Restoring the 2,100 Ha Mangrove Park?
WIF planted 9 million trees at the Climate Park with 5 partner communities. Since 2017, Starboard has supported WIF’s vision. Through sharing the same agenda to ensure a livable future, half a million of these trees were planted for Starboard. If you’ve purchased a board then we’ve worked together to reduce the footprint of your board. This is because for every board you buy, we plant a mangrove! Starboard also calculates our company’s emissions each year and plant 10 times as many as we actually need to absorb our emissions. Starboard has only contributed to a fraction of what has been planted, so let’s check out what other things WIF got up to, in order to reach a full mangrove park.
WIF’s Sustainable Business Model
The funding model offers partners like Starboard to fund projects, allowing them to plant trees to absorb the emissions created through the running of their businesses. Therefore yields sustainable benefits for the company through mitigating carbon emissions. Carbon has become an area of interest to the business sector, and as governments start to implement carbon taxes. Slowly, society is beginning to recognize carbon positive companies. WIF’s sustainable development business model offers an opportunity for companies to “invest in our planet’s future” without substantial economic sacrifice.
In addition to this, the first marine protected zone was approved for implementation as a blue carbon initiative in 2019. The diagram below represents the role of blue carbon environments such as the mangrove, seagrass, and coral reef in sequestering atmospheric carbon emissions. In partnership with Pathein University, WIF aims to conserve these blue carbon environments that are home to species such as the sea turtle and dugong.
Great, so the planet is benefiting, what about the local community?
Communities around the mangrove park once relied on cutting mangroves down and used the wood to create charcoal, generating income. It’s important to note that 60% of those living in the local community of the mangroves live below the poverty line. To overcome this, a new method to help local communities earn money has arisen.
Since 2019, WIF worked with the Forest Department and regional governments to promote the positive livelihoods of surrounding communities. By creating ‘Custodians Of The Forest’ through offering annual rewards for protecting the trees people can now make money by taking care of the trees. In addition to this, livelihood projects in five partnering communities resulted in an increase in household income. Therefore decreasing poverty.
This model aligns with WIF’s ultimate aim: Sustainable Development with livelihood support and women empowerment, combatting poverty, and human misery in disadvantaged communities.
Whilst being a tree guardian, each individual will have an improvement in ecosystem knowledge in areas such as climate regulation, and regeneration of soil fertility. Developing a connection with nature and deepening an understanding of how detoxification of land can lead to a rise in species biodiversity.
The education support does not just stop at those who are direct guardians. To support children who are learning at school and home, WIF has provided local schools with solar panels on the roofs and have also empowered children who are learning from home with solar lights to combat darkness!
“A miracle has emerged. Nature restored. Life is back!”
Waking up to this dawn of hope for the fragile planet are the living beings who rely on the mangrove forests. A result of mangrove rejuvenation has lead to an increase in biodiversity. Firstly vital food stocks are increasing due to an increase in fish in the area. Furthermore, it also means other animals can return to a flourishing natural environment. These animals include monkeys, bats, birds, and even bees are back to pollinate young blooming trees. Moreover, wild elephants have also been seen seeking shelter amongst the mangroves. This shows that WIF has maximized the restorative and profitable characteristics of the mangrove forest on a social and environmental scale.
Why stop here?
The are many organizations that have made a commitment to a liveable future. To amplify on this, WIF is reaching out to contributions from national institutions, communities, and global partners to restore 100,000 Ha and conserve 400,000 Ha during the next 10 years. This will mitigate a total of 600 million tons of CO2! A promising sight for future generations to have a livable future and witness nature at its finest.
A Commitment To A Livable Future
“Forest restoration is much more than planting.”
This dawn of hope for our fragile planet is a result of a significant amount of research development of new sustainable planting methods. Whilst bearing in mind that the global survival rate of a mangrove tree that is planted is 50%. Success from the research in 2019, lead to an increased survival rate to 96% as the ‘direct seed planting method’ in wetland environments.
Dawn Of Hope For Our Fragile Planet – 1
2019 was a changeable year for environmental growth, as primary carbon producers began to take responsibility for their carbon footprint. WIF made substantial progress in its efforts to mitigate climate change.
What next?
WIF’s activities are scaling up! With the first climate park being a huge success they will now be focusing on larger land areas to restore. With 4 new areas to restore with 7,000 Ha with 6 communities, there is a lot to be done. Starboard is so excited to be restoring mangroves in these areas with WIF! Furthermore, WIF has ambitious goals that support the Paris Climate Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. These plans are to further develop blue carbon environments (seagrass, mangroves, coral reefs) and provide financial and educational opportunities to local communities.
Grass Land Areas In Yangon And Bago Regions Ready For Mangrove Planting
