This Earth Day, the TreadRight Foundation is announcing its newest project partner, Scotland-based Trees for Life and support for its Wild Pine project, restoring globally important Caledonian Forest and its unique wildlife.
The foundation is a joint initiative between brands from the Travel Corporation (TTC).
It is the first project TreadRight has announced since shifting focus to supporting nature-based solutions in support of its three pillars of planet, people and wildlife.
TTC is a family of 40 award-winning brands including Trafalgar, Insight Vacations, Contiki, Uniworld, Highland Explorer Tours and Red Carnation Hotels.
In 2022, TTC became the first tour operator with validated near-term, long-term and net zero targets.
In support of these targets TTC also announced an internal Carbon Fund to invest in its net zero transition, in concert with a prioritisation of nature-based solutions.
“This Earth Day’s theme is ‘invest in our planet’ and TreadRight is pleased to partner with Trees of Life, a strong nature-based solutions charity working to tackle the overlapping nature and climate emergencies and create a cascade of benefits for people,” said Shannon Guihan, TTC chief sustainability officer and head of the TreadRight Foundation.
“Nature based solutions include the conservation and restoration of natural ecosystems, and improved land management to either reduce carbon emissions or to store carbon in the planet.”
Trees For Life is dedicated to rewilding the Scottish Highlands.
According to the charity, thousands of years ago wild pinewoods covered an estimated one million hectares of Scotland – but today only about two per cent of this life-supporting habitat remains, broken into small and isolated fragments, many under threat and in poor condition.
Rewilding is a means to protect and restore sustainable biodiversity, natural landscapes and wildlife while removing carbon emissions from the atmosphere.
Alongside prioritising the reduction of carbon emissions, supporting nature-based solutions which remove and store emissions already in the atmosphere is an integral component in the global journey towards net zero, which is the critical goal post to avoid a climate disaster according to the latest climate science.
More Information
Learn more about nature-based solutions from TreadRight here.
