Carbon Offsets: Protecting and Reforesting Critical Cat Habitat

By Abbey Greene

Jackson Hole WILD Festival attendees that participated in our Carbon Offset Program saved the 70 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, that’s the same as:

• Taking 15 passenger vehicles off the road for one year
• Recycling almost 4 garbage trucks of waste instead of sending it to a landfill
• Saving close to 8,000 gallons of gasoline or over 160 barrels of oil​

How did we do this? 

Just a matter of weeks ago, the 2017 Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival and Conservation Summit took place. As an event that represents the best of the best wildlife and conservation filmmaking, our team felt it important to put our beliefs into action, and include an optional carbon offset fee at registration, among other green changes made this year.

This optional $25 fee would offset their travel emissions by putting their money towards a green project, dedicated to taking carbon out of the atmosphere, and protecting habitats for rare cat species.

70 people, or ~10% of our delegates participated this year, with funds raised being donated to a Gold Standard project that will help combat global warming and provide and protect cat habitat. 

“Around the world, hundreds of organizations are running projects designed to help combat global warming by reducing levels of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in our atmosphere,” explains Sophia Maxwell, Communications Manager at Gold Standard. “Established in 2003 by WWF, Gold Standard sets the benchmark for climate initiatives such as these. We certify these projects and their impacts, using strict criteria and rigorous safeguards to ensure that every project awarded Gold Standard status delivers real emission reductions that would not have been possible without project funding.”

Photo courtesy of CO2OL

What really stood out to us about Gold Standard projects was all of their projects cannot only have a positive impact on the climate to be certified; the projects must do more than that. They are required to contribute to at least two additional UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Reducing greenhouse gases also leads to benefits such as new jobs, better health, improved gender equality and the protection of natural habitats and endangered species. This way, the local community benefits from the project as well. 

Since this is the year of Cats, we settled on supporting Gold Standard’s Vichada project. 

Leopard photo by Julie Larsen Maher

According to Gold Standard’s website, “The project is located in the Vichada Department and the Orinoco river basin, combining reforestation for timber production with biodiversity protection and ecosystem restoration. In addition to the reforestation of the savannah, the project protects the remaining patches of native vegetation and creates additional conservation areas on the banks of rivers and other watersheds. The forests offer a natural habitat for native animals and plants, protect and enrich the soil, save and filter water and contribute to the mitigation of the greenhouse effect.” By supporting this project, we are helping 80 million trees to be planted, and 76,356 hectare to be reforested (1 hectare=100 acres). 

Not only does the project help restore habitat, it helps restore habitat for cats and other wildlife. Julian Ekelof, Director of CO2OL Climate Solution, said this project was a good fit for us and our goals. “The Colombia project in Vichada creates forest habitats in a region that has remaining jaguar and puma populations,” says Ekelof. “The way the project is set up tries to bridge existing forest patches in order to create large areas of connected habitat for migratory species. The same is true for the project CO2OL Tropical Mix (in Panama). In addition, there have been several instances where the ocelot has been spotted in this project.”

Ocelot Photo credit: National Geographic

Jaguar, puma and ocelots are amongst the world’s big cats that need our help. Wild cats are among the most graceful, revered and elusive animals found on the planet. But, their future is uncertain as cat populations around the globe have plummeted in recent years. Habitat loss, human/predator conflict, and black market trafficking of cats have created an urgent need for new and innovative ideas to secure the last wild cat populations that still roam the planet. 

At a time when we can still save these iconic and important species, it is essential to take action that empowers locally-driven engagement with measurable impact, like supporting the Vichada Project. 

This year was the first year we offered the carbon offset fee, and the more people hear about it, the more we hope for it to grow as we continue holding film festivals and events. There will be an optional donation available for the Big Cat Film Festival, so if you like everything you’ve read above, please donate when registration is available. To learn more about other projects going on around the world, visit Gold Standard’s website to see developing projects.