Trees are everywhere in Livelihoods Funds’ projects. Whether it be to rebuild forests like in the Araku Valley in India, protect coastal villages like in Sumatra Island in Indonesia or mitigate deforestation like in the Peruvian Andes and near Mount Kenya. Trees are at the center of our projects as they provide food, income and firewood to rural communities. Trees also bring fertility to soils and sequester huge amounts of CO2, making them efficient tools for the most vulnerable communities to fight climate change.
All the communities that engage in our projects know that trees can improve their daily lives. That is why, since 2011, together with hundreds of thousands of volunteers, with local NGOs and the support of our partners*, we have planted 130 million trees in Africa, Asia and Latin America, which benefit 1 million people. This adventure is possible thanks to the long-term commitment of our investors: Crédit Agricole SA, Danone, Firmenich, Hermès, Groupe Caisse des Dépôts, La Poste, Michelin, SAP, Schneider Electric and Voyageurs du Monde.
In 2017, these companies decided to accelerate their actions for climate and the most vulnerable populations with a new Livelihoods Carbon Fund. This impact investment fund, with a target of 100 million euros, aims at improving the lives of 2 million people and avoiding the emissions of up to 25 million tons of CO2 over a 20-year span. Within this new fund, around 320 million more trees will be planted to improve the lives of millions of people, preserve our planet and contribute to the sustainability journey of our investor-companies.
*Livelihoods Funds are also supported by: the French Development Agency (AFD), the French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB), the Ramsar Convention and the World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF).