Natural Climate Solutions and Indigenous-Led Conservation in British Columbia Accelerates with Transformational Gift from the Bezos Earth Fund

Nature United, in partnership with our global affiliate The Nature Conservancy, today announced a grant from the Bezos Earth Fund to advance carbon sequestration and Indigenous-led conservation work. A portion of the $100 million gift will be used to protect forests in Clayoqout Sound, British Columbia, and throughout the Emerald Edge in Canada and the United States, helping to increase the forests’ ability to store carbon and mitigate emissions that damage the planet. The grant will also support efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of farming practices in Northwest India and curtail agriculture’s contribution to Delhi’s air pollution.

“This funding from the Bezos Earth Fund will further accelerate our work leveraging nature’s potential and catalyzing ground-breaking science to tackle climate change,” said Hadley Archer, Executive Director of Nature United. “Nature United is thrilled to scale our support of Indigenous leadership, expand the deployment of First Nations’ sustainable land-use vision for Clayoquot Sound, and advance nature-based climate solutions across the Emerald Edge.  We’re grateful to the Bezos Earth Fund for their generosity in supporting this critical work.”

Amidst the global pandemic, this investment in natural climate solutions will promote equitable and sustainable economic development in British Columbia’s coastal temperate rainforest. It will support a transition from unsustainable commercial logging of old-growth forest to a more diversified sustainable economy. Most importantly, this influx in the green economy will be guided by the vision of the people living there, who have and will continue to be stewards of these lands.

In partnership with First Nations in Clayoquot Sound, Nature United will help permanently protect and advance Indigenous management authority of more than 100,000 hectares of old-growth forest.

“We look forward to continuing to work with all partners and governments to support the First Nations in creating land-use visions for their traditional territories, while expanding our global and local expertise in natural climate solutions” concluded Archer.