Cardiff charity on the front line in the battle against deforestation

The 2020 Trees for Christmas campaign beats all its records, resulting in more than 100,000 trees to be planted in Kenya

The Borè Community Forest Project supports the local community to adapt to the climate emergency and protect their forest. Credit: Size of Wales

A Cardiff charity is leading the battle against deforestation, helping to plant more than 100 thousands trees in Kenya.

The environmental group Size of Wales asked people, schools and businesses across Wales to support the Borè community, a coastal area in eastern Kenya, through donations over the festive period.

With over £32,000 of funds, the annual Trees for Christmas campaign managed to beat all its records and enable the Borè Community Forest Project to plant 107,000 new trees in the area. 

“The year before was our most successful ever. And then this year we beat that again,” said Jamie Green, Size of Wales communication and marketing manager. 

As Jamie said, this year the partnerships have been extremely important for achieving this success. Then, there was the strong commitment of the Welsh citizens to the deforestation cause.

“I think a really great thing about Wales is that people are not just environmentally conscious. They’re quite proud of it,” said Jamie.

 “We have a really good corporate partner called SportPursuit who raised about 100,000 of the 107,000 worth of trees,” said Jamie Green, Size of Wales communication and marketing manager.

Size of Wales is a project that aims to help protecting tropical forests by raising money and awareness about the issue. Launched in 2010, the charity has already supported 2.4 million hectares of tropical forests and over 43,000 of people living in these communities.

As Jamie said: “Planting those trees is really important for the climate, locally and internationally. Tropical trees are just far more effective at soaking up carbon that causes global warming and then climate change.

“But for the local people, it’s also a source of jobs and a form of nutrition.”

The project is expected to bring at least 60 new jobs into the Borè community as well as improving their food security and creating a form of sustainable income.

Community Carbon Link is the Wales/Africa community that supports the Borè Community Forest project, encouraging Welsh people to take responsibility for their large carbon footprint. Credit: Size of Wales

“Planting trees is an amazing thing. But scientifically speaking, is far better protecting the trees you’ve got,” said Jamie Green from Size of Wales.

This is the idea behind Deforestation Free Nation, the new campaign that the organisation is currently working on. 

With the support of RSPB Wales, on the 23rd of November, they published a report calling the Welsh government to take the right actions for becoming the first deforestation-free nation in the world.  

As the World Resources Institute findings show, the world loses annually 18 million hectares of forest. This can be compared to 9 times the size of Wales. 

Iwan Rheon, the villainous Ramsay Bolton OF Game of Thrones, has joined the fight, calling for Wales to become the first ‘deforestation free nation’.

The stakes are high. Fighting back the destruction of forests can help tackle climate change, but also  preventing future pandemics. All this means environmental, health and economic advantages.   

The report draws some recommendations to overcome the challenge that include introducing deforestation free targets, promoting sustainable farming practices and ethical trade agreements. 

“Everyday products we eat here in the UK drive deforestation in other parts of the world,” said Jamie, “we’re calling the government to bring in regulation to begin stopping that. 

They also ask for a stronger education about the matter and further support to vulnerable countries and communities. 

“If the government could help people recognise when they’re buying products that contribute to that problem, people could start addressing it now. I think we all want to,” said Jamie.

According to a 2019 YouGov poll, 87% of Britons want the government to take action against forests loss.

After becoming the first Fair Trade nation more than ten years ago, will Wales take the lead of the battle against deforestation? 

Jamie from Size of Wales said: “There’s obviously an election coming up in Wales, so we’ll know more afterwards, but the Welsh government is aware of the campaign and is going to consider the report. 

“It has to be said as well that the Welsh government supports tree planting through us every year. Together we are working with the Mbale Trees Programme to plant 25 million trees by 2025. It supports the Borè project as well. It is quite proactive in terms of the tree planting.”

What people in Wales can do to help?

We asked Jamie Green from Size of Wales some tips on how to make a difference and contribute to the cause. This is what he said: