With the impacts of climate change being felt more and more each year, the need for reforestation projects has arguably never been more important and urgent. The Bermuda Zoological Society (BZS) today announced that HSBC has thrown its weight behind increasing Bermuda’s biodiversity, as Lead Sponsor of the BZS Micro Forest Project – Bermuda's Official Micro Forest Initiative.

The BZS Micro Forest Project was inspired by the success of the Miyawaki Forest model spanning multiple countries, showing the world how micro forests benefit the local communities and local wildlife, whilst lowering the carbon footprint of those communities by creating ‘carbon sinks’. ‘Carbon sinks’, in terms of a micro forest, are described as a diverse habitat of native plant life that will remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it in their foliage, roots and limbs.

This sizable commitment from HSBC will support the BZS Micro Forest project in its aim to clear sections of land, dominated by invasive species, and replace them with a diverse mixture of native and endemic plants. This will ultimately help to lower the air temperature, reduce air and noise pollution, sequester carbon from the atmosphere and provide an attractive habitat and feeding ground for local wildlife.

Volunteers are crucial to the creation and maintenance of the BZS Micro Forests, and the BZS would not be as successful in our ambitious vision of creating and conserving these micro forests without them. The BZS Micro Forest Project is an invaluable opportunity to build relationships; not just relationships between people, but relationships between people and the natural biodiversity that surrounds us. In addition to their financial support, over the next year, an estimated 300 HSBC volunteers will dedicate their time by joining us on the ground to support this biodiversity work through chopping, digging, culling, weeding and planting a further 1500 native and endemic plants at 10 new sites.

Clesia Pachai, HSBC Community Investment Manager, shared “HSBC is delighted to partner with BZS on this ambitious initiative as Lead Sponsor.  Over the past 12 years, HSBC has invested an estimated $950,000 to local environmental charities and projects that focused on strengthening biodiversity, restoring ecosystem health, fostering conservation and promoting environmental education in Bermuda.  A project of this magnitude requires great collaboration and commitment across stakeholders in our community and after a two-year pause, we look forward to reinstating our volunteering activities and our colleagues reconnecting again with nature and each other and build on the momentum and successes of our corporate partners to help develop 10 additional micro-forests sites by year-end.”

“The BZS understands that increasing Bermuda’s biodiversity requires corporate capital to support our relatively new project, aimed at sustainably removing carbon from the atmosphere, and as such we are proud to welcome HSBC as the Lead Sponsor of the BZS Micro Forest Project,” said BZS President, Colin Brown.  “Their commitment is critical in expanding the reach of the project, so that it can grow from the current 10 planted plots to 20 micro forests by the end of 2023. Through this partnership, the BZS will be able to sustainably manage and preserve these forests and make a significant impact to protect and enhance wildlife habitat and biodiversity, absorb carbon, enhance physical resilience from extreme weather events, cool the land and provide the community with a brighter future.”

The shared mission of BZS and The Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoom (BAMZ) is to inspire appreciation and care of island environments. As the support charity for BAMZ, the BZS is an example of a highly successful non-profit/public partnership. Each year the BZS provide more than 8,000 free educational experiences through our Stempel Foundation BZS Schools Programme in addition to popular community programmes for all ages, development of BAMZ exhibits, and conservation and research programmes. Each year, BZS Volunteers contribute over 10,000 hours of valuable husbandry support to the Aquarium and Zoo with all programmes being accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.