November 27, 2009
PRESS STATEMENT
Carbon Care Asia partners with
China’s groundbreaking Afforestation & Reforestation
Carbon Offset Project
In the wake of the Copenhagen Climate Conference and China’s announcement yesterday on some bold measures to tackle the climate change challenge, local integrated carbon solution provider Carbon Care Asia (CCA) announces an exclusive marketing partnership with the world’s first CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) cum CCB (Climate, Community, Bio-diversity) carbon credit project in Northwest Sichuan, China.
“Afforestation and Reforestation on Degraded Lands in Northwest Sichuan”, the project strongly supported by China’s forestation bureaux and forestry research institutes at both national and provincial levels and by environmental NGOs, was successfully validated by and registered with the CDM-Executive Board under the UNFCCC on 16 Nov 2009 after five years of comprehensive research and preparation work. Totalling over 2,250 hectares, this forest restoration project spans five impoverished counties in the region badly stricken by the Sichuan Earthquake last May, which is largely inhabited by ethnic minority villagers.
“CCA is honoured and pleased to have acquired the exclusive worldwide marketing right of this groundbreaking and meaningful project, which brings climate, community and bio-diversity to a triple-win situation,” said Mr Chong Chan Yau, Chairman of CCA. “Apart from sharing the climate responsibility, people in Hong Kong have the opportunity now to support a project that contributes to post-earthquake re-development and poverty alleviation in Northwest Sichuan.”
The project is also located in one of the world’s bio-diversity hotspots — the Mountains of Southwest China, and within the forest eco-zone of the Upper Yangtze. Much of the afforested and reforested land it covers are close to the nature reserves where many rare and endangered wildlife species live, such as giant pandas, golden monkeys, snow leopards and Bengal tigers. Cultivated with mixed native tree species, including cypress, fir, pine and birch, these manmade forests become an effective shield to protect the natural habitat of many wildlife species in the reserves nearby.
CCA Executive Director, Dr Trini Leung, who represented the company in signing the partnership contract with the project owner Daduhe Forestation Bureau, Sichuan Province, in Chengdu on 26 November 2009, said at the signing ceremony, “Sichuan is famous of its giant pandas around the world. The afforestation and reforestation project is just as rare and precious as the giant panda. CCA will act like the ‘giant panda’s ambassador’, promoting to the world the valuable and significant impact of this project on the mitigation of global climate change.”
With an initial project life of 20 years, the project’s contribution to carbon reduction is estimated to be 460,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent, or average 23,000 tonnes a year. The project activities will create over 1 million man-days of temporary employment from planting, weeding, tending and thinning. It will also create 38 long-term job positions during the crediting period. Over 12,000 local farmers, including over 5,300 people of ethnic minorities, living in 28 villages in 21 townships will benefit from more income and a better environment.
CCA has secured an exclusive worldwide marketing right of the carbon credits generated by the project up to 2012. Companies, institutions and individuals in Hong Kong will now have the chance to bring benefits to the climate, indigenous communities and the ecology by purchasing carbon credits from the project.
In addition, CCA has devoted much effort to assist the public and the private sectors to develop appropriate strategies in carbon reduction and carbon management. Two of its directors, Mr Chong Chan Yau and Ms Rosanna Wong, along with advisor Albert Lai, will be joining the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen next month.
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Photo captions:
- CCA Executive Director Dr Trini Leung (left) signing the partnership contract at Chengdu, which gives the company worldwide exclusive marketing right to carbon credits generated by the afforestation and reforestation project in Northwest Sichuan, the world’s first CDM project also with climate, community and bio-diversity benefits. The Chinese parties were represented by Mr Wen Yong (middle), Director of the Daduhe Forestation Bureau, Sichuan Province and Mr Li Shengzhi (right), Field Projects Director of the Shan Shui Conservation Centre. The ceremony was also addressed and witnessed by the Director of the Sichuan Provincial Forestry Bureau, Mr Wang Ping (middle in back row).
- Mr Wang Ping, Director of the Sichuan Provincial Forestry Bureau, endorsed and sent his congratulations to the marketing partnership at the signing ceremony.
- CCA Executive Director Dr Trini Leung said the Daduhe Afforestation and Reforestation Project in Sichuan was just as rare and precious as the province’s giant panda in the mitigation of global climate change.
- All smiles from the witnesses of the partnership contract — CCA Advisor Ir Albert Lai (left), Party Secretary Tu Xuzhong (middle) of the Daduhe Forestation Bureau, and Director Tang Caifu (right) of the Shan Shui Conservation Centre.
- Local ethnic minority villagers reap the Project’s economic benefits from planting and tending seedlings at the forestation zones.
- During a site visit in early November, CCA Executive Director Dr Trini Leung talked to a local village representative Dong Zeping who participated in the forestation project at Mao County.