Mobil Announces Support for Three Forest Projects
7 April 1999
Mobil Announces Support for Three Forest Projects
FAIRFAX, Va.--April 7, 1999--and help slow the buildup of CO2 gases in the atmosphere
Mobil Corporation today announced that it will support three forestation and forest conservation projects in 1999 that will have positive impacts on the environment and help slow the buildup of carbon dioxide (CO2) gases in the atmosphere.
Mobil will continue its partnership with American Forests by funding the planting of 500,000 trees on public lands in the U.S., and provide funding support for forest conservation studies being conducted by The Nature Conservancy in Peru and Conservation International in Indonesia.
"We know the forests of the world face pressures from human activities," said Bill Dalgetty, general manager of environmental, health and safety for Mobil Corporation. "We are confident these projects will provide a meaningful step in providing protection for these valuable lands as well as helping to slow the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere."
Mobil's partnership with American Forests' "Global ReLeaf Forests" program will underwrite the planting of 500,000 trees in California, the Chesapeake Bay region in Maryland, New York and Texas. This effort is a continuation of Mobil's 1998 tree planting program which resulted in the planting of 500,000 trees in Florida, Virginia and Wisconsin. The 1999 plantings will be in
- The Milford and Arnold Lake State Forests in the Otsego
Creek Watershed of New York;
- Beaverkill/Willowemoc Watershed, New York;
- Tahoe National Forest, California;
- San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, California;
- Mattole River Watershed, California;
- Piney Woods, Alazan Bayou Wildlife Management Area,
Nacadoches, Texas;
- Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge,
Texas; and
- Seneca Creek State Park, Maryland.
"Restoring forests is among the most important environmental work to be done anywhere," said Deborah Gangloff, executive director of American Forests. "These projects will provide environmental benefits for wildlife, water resources and local communities while addressing the potential threat of global climate change. We are proud of our continuing Global ReLeaf partnership with Mobil."
American Forests, founded in 1875, is the oldest national nonprofit conservation organization. "Global ReLeaf 2000," its popular grassroots education and action campaign, mobilizes people around the world to improve the environment by planting and caring for trees.
A Mobil grant will fund the development phase of The Nature Conservancy's "Central Selva Climate Action" project in Peru. During this phase of the project, scientists will examine implementation strategies for using forest protection and management as a way to mitigate the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming and climate change. The Conservancy will conduct the Central Selva project in partnership with ProNaturaleza, a Peruvian environmental organization.
The project's specific objectives are to
- Conserve the area's diverse array of plant and animal
species, including spectacled bears, jaguars and over
400 species of birds,
- Generate net greenhouse gas benefits,
- Contribute to the sustainable economic development of
the local community, and
- Create long-term funding for project lands and the
Yanachaga-Chemillen National Park located in Central
Peru.
"Mobil's strong support of this project reflects a growing awareness that forest protection and management can provide significant benefits in the battle against climate change and the struggle to protect biodiversity," said John C. Sawhill, president and CEO of The Nature Conservancy.
For nearly 50 years, The Nature Conservancy has sought to preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy has helped protect more than 10 million acres of ecologically important habitat in the United States, and more than 55 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Canada, Asia and the Pacific. Mobil's support for the Conservancy dates to 1976 and has included the donation of environmentally sensitive lands in Texas, Florida, Virginia and California.
The Mobil grant to Conservation International will support a feasibility study to examine the scope for forest conservation in Aceh, Indonesia, a province on the island of Sumatra. Conservation International's goals in Aceh are to protect remaining tropical forests by providing economic alternatives to current plans for logging and conversion of forests to agriculture.
The Mobil-supported study will provide a baseline analysis of the ecology of the area, an assessment of threats to its natural forests, and a plan for the protection of existing forests, and support of alternative economic activities for local people, such as community-based conservation and natural resource utilization.
Conservation International's mission is to preserve global biodiversity and to demonstrate that human societies can live harmoniously with nature. It works to protect biologically rich ecosystems in the Americas, Asia and Africa through programs in science, economics, policy and public awareness that demonstrate the value of biodiversity to local people. Mobil established a relationship with Conservation International in 1997 to monitor and evaluate the ecological and social effects of oil exploration in the rain forest of Southeastern Peru.
"Aceh's remaining rain forests are some of the biologically richest on the planet," said Glenn Prickett, Conservation International's vice president for corporate partnerships. "Mobil is making an important contribution in the effort to preserve this vital ecosystem."