More than 30,000 trees have been planted across the New South Wales Southern Tablelands, as part of a reforestation project aimed at capturing carbon and restoring local ecosystems.
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The plantings are part of the Nestlé Global Reforestation Program which, in Australia, aims to establish 10 million trees in partnership with Greening Australia, Canopy and One Tree Planted.
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NSW Southern Tablelands landholders, Colin Price and Emily Clarke, said the project will help them to increase local biodiversity and restore grassy woodland habitat.
"We have an incredible array of native wildlife on and around our property, such as wombats, echidnas, wallabies, reptiles, and over 30 native species of birds, including kookaburras, magpies, and wedge-tailed eagles," Ms Clarke said.
"The planting of thousands of native trees at our property through this project will help our efforts to restore and reconnect habitat for these native species," Mr Price said.
Mr Price and Ms Clarke are encouraging the community to get involved in all future projects.
Working with Greening Australia and their partners means that you can achieve a lot more, and faster, than what you could alone.
"Together we can all recreate corridors of bush for wildlife to move through the landscape more easily, especially by using degraded land that is not contributing to agricultural productivity," Mr Price said.
"This kind of restoration is one of the most valuable things landholders can do for our local environment and biodiversity."
The Nestlé Global Reforestation Program aims to grow 200 million trees globally by 2030 and is part of Nestlé's efforts to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions.
The 10 million trees in Australia aim to capture an estimated 1.9 million tonnes of CO2 over a 25-year carbon crediting period.
Averaged over the project lifetime, this is the equivalent of exhaust emissions from more than 22,000 cars driving each year.
A biodiverse mix of native species, the trees are expected to help restore local biodiversity, improve water quality and revitalise degraded soils at each of the planting sites.
Nestlé Oceania Director of Sustainability Margaret Stuart said that the end goal for the company can be achieved.
"Nestlé has set the target of achieving net zero emissions by 2050, reaching a 50 per cent reduction by 2030 - and a goal of 10 million trees in Australia, aiming to capture around 1.9 million tonnes of CO2,"
"By the end of 2023 we'll have planted more than 1.9 million trees," Ms Stuart said.
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