1 Million Trees for Environmental Sustainability

Pledge by

Puravankara Ltd.

Growing 1 million trees for the conservation & restoration of biodiversity and the ecosystems.

Type
Conserving, Restoring & Growing, Enabling
This pledge will take place from
2020 to beyond 2030
Location
India

Company website

Pledge overview

As part of our commitment to environmental sustainability, we pledge to plant 1 million trees in and around Bengaluru City. This initiative will contribute to the World Economic Forum’s Trillion Tree Movement of conserving, restoring, and growing 1 trillion trees by 2030, with our efforts specifically aimed at increasing green cover, restoring biodiversity, sequestering carbon, and supporting local ecosystems.

Our pledge focuses on growing native tree species, which are well-suited to the local climate and have a high survival rate. These 1 million trees are expected to absorb approximately 25,000,000 kg of carbon annually, contributing to climate mitigation efforts. Beyond carbon sequestration, this initiative will support local communities by providing ecosystem services such as pollination, water conservation, soil preservation, and access to Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs).

This initiative is part of our larger sustainability strategy, aligning with our commitment to environmental stewardship and community engagement. Through collaboration with partner agencies, we aim to create a long-term impact by continuously monitoring progress and promoting sustainable resource use. Our pledge not only contributes to global climate goals but also benefits local communities by enhancing both environmental and socio-economic resilience.

Actions in this pledge

  • Conserving trees and forest landscapes

    Supporting actions
    Permanent conservation
    Secure a forest through acquisition or legal agreement to avoid planned or unplanned deforestation or degradation, and/or ensure permanent conservation of land
    Conservation support activities
    Support the operating costs and activities of existing conservation areas, including advocacy for conservation policy
    Other conservation activities
    Water conservation through well/lake rejuvenation, RWH system installation, Recharge well creation
    Additional details

    We have planted 55,000 trees across three different locations in rural Bengaluru, covering 3.5 hectares, and an additional 1,000 trees at 7 medians and 1 park within Bengaluru City, as part of our CSR initiatives. Since 2020, we have also planted 6,000 trees in various residential projects. The trees planted under our CSR initiatives are maintained by our project partners, including NGOs and landscaping agencies contracted by us. Meanwhile, the trees in our residential projects are cared for on a daily basis by the respective residential societies.

    Conserving

    Trees
    62,000
  • Restoring and growing trees and forest landscapes

    Supporting actions
    Assisted natural regeneration
    Actions that support natural regeneration without tree planting, such as Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration, forest soil remediation, exotic species control, disease prevention, and wildfire protection
    Reforestation
    Re-establishment of forest through planting and/or deliberate seeding on land classified as forest, that has been degraded or where trees are unlikely to regenerate naturally
    Agroforestry
    Activities that establish and manage the integration of trees into agricultural landscapes, silvopastoral systems, farming in forests and along forest margins and tree-crop production
    Watershed protection and erosion control
    Establishment and enhancement of forests on very steep sloping land, along water courses, in areas that naturally flood and around critical water bodies
    Urban tree planting
    Planting and maintaining trees within urban areas
    Additional details

    We will plant 1.50 to 1.75 lakh (150,000 to 175,000) trees annually in and around Bengaluru City, including maintaining (conservation) previously planted trees. The plantation activity will be done through our implementing agencies (reputed NGOs/Expert landscapers etc). The plantation will be maintained for 2-3 years (Irrigation, cleaning, weeding, fertilizer and pesticide application etc). The implementing agency will monitor the progress closely and submit a monthly progress report to us.

    Restoring & Growing

    Trees
    938,000
  • Enabling activities for trees and forest landscapes

    Supporting actions
    Sustainable forest management
    Activities that support the stewardship and use of forests (including by local communities and indigenous peoples), to maintain their biological diversity, productivity, and regeneration capacity, as well as their potential to fulfil relevant ecological economic and social functions
    Education and capacity building
    Forest / tree species conservation and restoration education programmes, targeted educational and behaviour change campaigns, training and capacity building, including promotion of local and traditional knowledge and practices
    Community mobilisation
    Community mobilisation and engagement activities for conservation, restoration and reforestation, including enabling systems of community governance, etc.
    Youth engagement
    Engagement of young people and/or youth networks to catalyse a restoration generation
    Data collection, management and technological tools
    Activities that provide data and/or technological tools to support conservation and restoration (e.g. monitoring etc.)
    Additional details

    We will organize awareness programs (Focused Group Discussion/stakeholder interaction) through our implementing agencies for the community and school children in case of plantations in more Govt. schools. The students would be motivated through awareness sessions (pre and post implementation) and also be engaged in plantation drives in order to ensure the security and care to the plantation.

    Enabling

Carbon benefits

25,000 tons annual

Our ecologically and socially responsible approach

As part of this initiative, native tree species will be planted, which are known for their high survival rate and their role in restoring biodiversity and the ecosystem. The local community will also benefit from the plantation through natural processes such as pollination, water conservation, and soil preservation. Additionally, the community will have access to Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs). The implementing agencies will engage nearby communities through awareness programs, educating them on environmental issues and preparing them for the sustainable use of the resources generated by this initiative.

We will conduct concurrent monitoring through regular activities like field visits, stakeholder interactions etc. We will also release regular reporting on monthly, quarterly and annually basis.

We will follow IUCN guiding principles of forest landscape restoration.

Our results tracking

- Periodical verification of trees planted, biodiversity situation of soil and water
- Stakeholder/People interaction
- Verification of availability of forest based resources (NTFP)
- Comparison of atmosphere quality before and after plantation

Ecological metrics

Native and unique species protected, biodiversity metrics, soil & air quality, etc.

Social metrics

Health indices, improved atmosphere quality, community resources, economic benefits, jobs.

Our partners

Vidyanikethan, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)

Our locations

We are working at locations across India.

We are working in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.