Supporting Conservation
Our love for the outdoors goes beyond being active in it – we also recognise our responsibility to protect it. Without rainforests and other natural habitats, we would not only forfeit the marvellous biodiversity which makes them so stunning, but also endanger the vital ecosystems which humans rely on. That’s why Páramo has helped to fund a variety of conservation projects.
Working with World Land Trust
Like any other area of the business we want to make sure that our money is well spent. Donating to World Land Trust is the best way we can find to ensure that threatened ecosystems are protected, not just today, but forever. The World Land Trust strategy is to use donations to purchase land in areas of ecological importance, and work with local partners and communities to manage the reserves sustainably.
Working with local people is at the core of World Land Trust’s philosophy. Land protection is ultimately handed over to local NGOs, who are best placed to gain the support and understanding of the communities involved. Small scale sustainable development projects allow the reserves to support themselves, ensuring their long term survival. Visit the World Land Trust website to find out more.
At Páramo and Nikwax we have been calculating our primary carbon dioxide emissions since 2007. Every year since then we have offset those emissions, plus an estimated figure for a pre-2007 year, by donating to WLT’s Carbon Balanced Programme. These funds are used to regenerate damaged areas of habitat and prevent further deforestation by extending a range of reserves throughout Ecuador.
As well as a donation to cover our carbon footprint, we make a matching donation for use in World Land Trust’s most urgent appeals. The WLT Action Fund provides the means to make land purchases where ecosystems are under imminent threat. Visit our blog for the latest updates on our work with WLT.
Working with the European Outdoor Conservation Association
The European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) is a group of businesses in the European outdoor industry, which includes Paramo and its sister company Nikwax (founded by EOCA member and passionate naturalist Nick Brown) that collectively raise funds for conservation projects worldwide. EOCA was honoured to be invited to attend and endorse the launch of ‘The Hague Principles’ in December 2018, which recognises humankind’s duty to look after nature and the earth on which we live and depend.
Over €3 million has been committed to conservation projects since EOCA’s beginnings in 2006, with €330,000 being distributed to 14 worthy schemes in 11 countries last year alone. EOCA has also recently reached its ‘Two Million Trees Project’ target, an ambitious initiative that was launched in 2016 to plant and regenerate 2,000,000 trees worldwide.
EOCA’s 2019 – 2021 Plastic Free: Mountain to Sea campaign, which sees its members collectively clearing 3000km of habitat, trail and beach of plastic waste and pollution over the next 2 years, has already achieved 1/3 of its clean up target!
Read more about Páramo ethics
