STRATEGIC ALLIANCE COLLABORATIVE FUND UPDATE AND MORE

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1 STRATEGIC ALLIANCE COLLABORATIVE FUND UPDATE AND MORE PHASE I: 1,000 ACRE REFORESTATION AT POINTE-AUX-CHENES MAKING HISTORY IN THE MUD On October 27, 2016, over 120 people joined US BCSD + Restore the Earth to celebrate the Groundbreaking for Phase I of the Strategic Alliance Collaborative Fund that funded the first 1,000 acres of historic bald cypress reforestation. This launched Restore the Earth s initiative to restore 1 million acres in the Mississippi River Basin, North America s Amazon. Volunteers from the Collaborative Fund corporate partners, Parish officials and community stakeholders planted 600 native bald cypress trees to kick off Phase I, the first 1,000 acres of a 4,000 acre project at Pointe-aux-Chenes Wildlife Management Area in Montegut, Louisiana. PHASE I COMPLETED: FEBRUARY 2017 Planting continued during the fall of 2016 and early winter, and was completed by the end of February yy EKOgrown native bald cypress trees were grown from seed yy 100,000 trees planted yy 1,000 acres reforested

2 UPDATE FROM THE MUD One-two gallon native bald cypress trees were between 4 and 5 feet tall at the time of planting. The reforestation sites were monitored on September 26, 2017 (nine to eleven months) following the plantings. From the field data collected: yy Survivability is 95% yy Average Tree Height is feet LDWF Staff member Shane Granier, at 6 feet tall, stands next to a tree at the project site. After just one year in the ground, trees are already growing strong roots and trunks. With her tape measure in hand, Restore the Earth s Director of Sustainable Programs monitored the progress of the restoration. POINTE-AUX-CHENES STUDENT FIELD TRIP PRESS AND COMMUNICATIONS 100 students from Young Audiences Charter School in Since the Groundbreaking in October 2016, there New Orleans joined Restore the Earth and Louisiana have been a number of press releases, articles, op- Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) for a field eds and blogs written by partners, local and national trip at Pointe-aux-Chenes. press and Restore the Earth staff highlighting the Students were eager to learn more about coastal land Pointe-aux-Chenes project and the engagement of loss, the importance of wetland restoration and the collaborative partners to finance and deploy large benefits of creating healthy ecosystems for wildlife scale restoration. Restore the Earth has also produced habitat as well as communities. several videos related to our work. Below are links to all articles and videos from the past year. ARTICLE LINKS Restore the Earth in the Media VIDEO LINKS Restore the Earth in Action

3 ECOMETRICS MODEL POINTE-AUX-CHENES RESTORATION BENEFITS In collaboration with The Water Institute of the Gulf, Restore the Earth applied its EcoMetrics Model to the Pointe-aux- Chenes reforestation. Using the EcoMetrics Model, the Collaborative Fund corporate partners can account for in real, monetized terms the co-benefits provided when investing in reforestation. This makes the business case for investment in landscape scale restoration with co-benefits that offer the greatest value to communities, the environment and the economy. STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT Restore the Earth s EcoMetrics model is built around and aligned with the guiding principles of Social Value International (SVI) accounting for social return on investment (SROI) and the International Integrated Reporting Council s (IIRC) framework, using general accounting practices to report on the integrated value created (SROI and ROI) by restoration. Of primary importance to both SVI and IIRC is stakeholder engagement and relationships. SOCIAL VALUE BENEFITS BY STAKEHOLDER GROUP POINTE-AUX-CHENES PROJECT POINTE-AUX-CHENES PROJECT Communities Surrounding the Site 54.98% Habitat Refuge & Cultural Value.36% Restore the Earth 9.31% Volunteers.5% Government Agencies 12.31% Corporate Sponsors 1.22% Conservation Organizations 9.59% Recreational Users.15% Employed Directly by Project.72% Employed Indirectly by Project 2.02% Environment 10.77% As a part of the analysis, The Water Institute of the Gulf convened workshops in Montegut and Chauvin Louisiana with local stakeholders, Parish officials, and community members to collect baseline data for the social and economic component of Restore the Earth s EcoMetrics Model. For the reforestation at Pointe-aux-Chenes, the EcoMetrics data results demonstrated that for every $1 invested by corporate funders, $14.10 in social (nonmarket) value is returned to community stake holders, and an additional $1.66 in direct market value is created. For every $1 invested, community and funding stakeholders see a total social and market value creation of $ Community stakeholder benefits include: cleaner air and water, soil stabilization, storm protection, flood control, job creation, enhanced recreational opportunities, sustainable livelihood, identity culture and generational equity.

4 PHASE II WHAT S NEXT FOR POINTE-AUX-CHENES US BCSD + Restore the Earth are seeking private sector funding partners to contribute to the North America Collaborative Fund Phase II that will be matched by public funding. The Phase II goal for the Collaborative Fund is to reach at least $1 million by November 2017, to restore Phase II 1,000 acres for a total of 2,000 acres of restoration toward the 4,000 acre project. Groundbreaking for Phase II will take place in winter SPECIAL THANKS Thank you US BCSD + Restore the Earth Collaborative Fund partners for launching the restoration of 1 million acres in North America s Amazon. MORE SPECIAL AWARDS Every year the South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center presents the John W. Woodward Award to individuals who have made significant contributions to the protection and restoration of coastal Louisiana. On May 18, 2017 at the 5th Annual Rougarou Ball Marv and PJ Marshall were recipients of the award for Restore the Earth s work at Pointe-aux-Chenes. CONFERENCES AND EVENTS Over the past year, Restore the Earth has presented and participated in a number of national and international conference, events, workshops and meetings to discuss the US BCSD + Restore the Earth Collaborative Fund, our continuing restoration work across the gulf coast and our 1 million acre initiative in North America s Amazon. Here is a brief list of some of those key events and activities: y VMware Earth Day, Palo Alto and Austin ysustainable Brands, Detroit y Sustainable Brands New Metrics, Boston yveolia Corporate Meetings, Paris yone Water Summit, New Orleans y US BCSD Annual Meeting, Ohio y US BCSD Meeting, Duke University y Climate Week, New York City y IETA Carbon Forum North America, New York City

5 PARTNERS