What are sustainability projects?
I progetti di sostenibilità possono definirsi come progetti volti a soddisfare le esigenze del presente, senza compromettere quelle del futuro e tenendo conto dell’equilibrio ambientale. Infatti, implementare i principi della sostenibilità significa utilizzare in modo efficiente le risorse naturali per garantire la loro durabilità nel tempo ed evitare il loro sovrasfruttamento, che genera effetti negativi a cascata su altri ambiti quali salute umana, economia e biodiversità.
Sustainability projects can be defined as initiatives aimed at meeting the needs of the present without compromising those of the future, while taking environmental balance into account. In fact, applying the principles of sustainability means using natural resources efficiently to ensure their long-term availability and to avoid overexploitation, which can trigger a cascade of negative effects on areas such as human health, the economy, and biodiversity.
Sustainability projects can focus on different areas: environmental, when activities are centred around protecting or restoring the natural environment; or social, when they address inclusivity, gender issues, and the creation of socio-economic value.
Environmental sustainability projects
As mentioned, among sustainability projects we find environmental sustainability projects, which therefore focus on the environment. These can serve various purposes, such as the conservation or restoration of ecosystems, and the protection or reintroduction of biodiversity.
The conservation of ecosystems is aimed at the sustainable management of natural resources to safeguard the ecosystem services they generate: the approach is therefore focused on maintaining the balance of the ecosystem, in order to ensure the production of the benefits it provides and their proper use by humans. Currently, in Europe, only 15% of habitats are in a “good” state of conservation, while a total of 81% are in an “inadequate” (45%) or “poor” (36%) state of conservation.
Natural restoration, on the other hand, focuses on bringing a degraded ecosystem back into balance by simulating the natural recovery processes of that specific ecosystem. In fact, intervention takes place where external support is needed, specially on ecosystems that struggle to recover at a natural pace after events that have caused significant degradation. Among these, generally of human origin, we find pollution, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and desertification. Supporting the restoration of ecosystems is necessary to restore lost balance and to ensure the ecosystem services generated by that specific area.
Closely related and interconnected with these two types of projects, we find the protection and reintroduction of biodiversity. Today's loss of biodiversity is one of the most urgent and, at the same time, most difficult crises to tackle: deforestation, habitat fragmentation, monocultures, extreme weather events, urbanisation, and pollution are just some of the causes that are critically endangering biodiversity. Projects that protect ecosystems, restore damaged ones, and raise awareness in society are essential to reverse this trend.
A regeneration project aimed at restoring the habitat by planting new olive trees, following the wildfires that broke out in 2021 in the Montiferru area of Sardinia. Find out more here.
A conservation project aimed at protecting the habitat from deforestation. Today, only 2–3% of the original forest cover of the Ecuadorian Chocó remains. Find out more here.
Blue Carbon sustainability projects
The term "Blue Carbon" refers to the carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems, in the form of biomass and sediments, mainly through mangrove forests, peatlands, and seagrass meadows (also known as Posidonia oceanica).
Although they cover just 2% of the ocean floor, these ecosystems are capable of storing 50% of the carbon found in marine sediments, exceeding by 10 times the capacity of temperate forests and 50 times that of tropical forests.
Precisely for this peculiarity, in recent years, attention has been placed on the development of sustainability projects focused on marine ecosystems: the protection and conservation of marine and coastal habitats is of fundamental importance not only to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions but also for the biodiversity and ecosystem services found there.
Among the various sustainability projects focused on Blue Carbon are: the restoration of mangrove forests, the reforestation of Posidonia meadows, and the protection of peatlands.
Green Future Project’s Climate Action Tracker
Deciding to fund environmental sustainability projects is not always easy: one must know how to select the right project and be able to closely monitor its progress and results. Green Future Project offers the opportunity to support the best environmental projects, chosen based on strict selection criteria.
Each project is, in fact, evaluated based on the benefits it can generate for biodiversity, local socio-economic development, and the climate. Depending on their needs and preferences, one can choose between projects (certified with carbon credits or science-backed) related to forest conservation, reforestation, coral reef restoration, Posidonia regeneration, and renewable energy.
Moreover, to ensure maximum transparency of the investment, Green Future Project has developed the Climate Action Tracker, a monitoring platform that integrates scientific and satellite data for project tracking. Thanks to satellites, the progress of the project can be consulted in real time through the reading of key components that analyse data such as forest cover, tree height, or deforestation rate.
