E-commerce company Amazon will make an initial investment of $3 million in nature-based projects in India. The investment is part of the company’s $15 million fund for nature-based projects in the Asia-Pacific, according to a statement issued by the company on Monday. According to the statement, “Under the first allocation for Asia-Pacific, $3 million will be used to invest in nature-based projects in India.” For its first project, Amazon will work with the Center for Wildlife Studies (CWS) to support communities and conservation efforts in the Western Ghats, home to more than 30 percent of all wildlife species in India. The largest number of Asian elephants and tigers in the world are found there.
Amazon will also give $1 million to CWS to help establish a “Wild Carbon” program. This will help 10,000 farmers to plant and maintain medicinal trees.
“The Asia-Pacific region is home to vast forests and rich coastal ecosystems, but it is also highly vulnerable to climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation,” said Cara Hurst, Amazon’s global vice president.
“To protect this area from the effects of climate change and protect biodiversity, we need to take action at scale and at the local level, and we are committed to investing in both,” he said.
“Amazon’s support will help us plan and build a program that is sustainable over the long term,” said Kriti Karanth, executive director of CWS. “Farmers will receive advance assistance in selecting trees that are beneficial to both their livelihoods and wildlife, as well as technical assistance, agroforestry training and assistance in replanting damaged trees.”