E-commerce giant Amazon has announced an initial investment of $3 million in nature-based projects across India, reported news agency PTI.
This commitment is part of Amazon’s $15 million fund designated for nature-based initiatives in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.
“The first $3 million from the fund’s APAC allocation will support nature-based projects in India. For its first project, Amazon will be working with the Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS) to support communities and conservation efforts in the Western Ghats, which is home to more than 30 per cent of all of India’s wildlife species, including the world’s largest population of wild Asiatic elephants and tigers,” the company said in a statement.
As part of this effort, Amazon will contribute $1 million to assist CWS in launching the “Wild Carbon” program. This program aims to support 10,000 farmers in planting and nurturing one million fruit-bearing, timber, and medicinal trees.
Kara Hurst, Amazon’s Global VP for Sustainability, emphasized the importance of protecting the Asia-Pacific region from climate change impacts, biodiversity loss, and land degradation. She expressed Amazon’s commitment to investing in both large-scale and local actions to achieve these goals.
“To protect the region from the impacts of climate change and preserve biodiversity, we will need both large-scale and local action – and we are committed to investing in both,” Hurst said.
The $15 million allocation for nature-based projects is drawn from Amazon’s $100 million Right Now Climate Fund, established in 2019. The fund is dedicated to supporting initiatives that enhance climate resilience, promote biodiversity, and deliver social and environmental benefits in communities where Amazon operates. Krithi Karanth, Executive Director of CWS, highlighted that Amazon’s support enables the creation of a self-sustaining program. Farmers will receive upfront assistance to select tree varieties that benefit their livelihoods and local wildlife. They will also receive technical guidance, agroforestry training, and support for replanting failed saplings.
Amazon has been committed to environmental sustainability and climate action. The company co-founded The Climate Pledge in 2019, pledging to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement’s target. The pledge now boasts over 400 signatories across various industries and countries, including nine Indian companies.
In 2022, Amazon launched six utility-scale projects in India, moving towards its goal of powering its global operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025, five years ahead of its initial 2030 target. These projects include wind-solar hybrid and solar farms, with a combined renewable energy capacity of 920 megawatts.
