Amazon, a major player in the e-commerce industry, is set to invest an initial sum of US$ 3 million into nature-based projects within India. This contribution is a part of Amazon’s broader commitment of US$ 15 million allocated for nature-based initiatives in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region.
For its inaugural project, Amazon has joined forces with the Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS) to extend support to communities and conservation efforts within the Western Ghats. This region is renowned for hosting over 30% of India’s wildlife species, including the world’s largest populations of wild Asiatic elephants and tigers. Under the “Wild Carbon” program, Amazon will allocate US$ 1 million to CWS to aid 10,000 farmers in planting and nurturing one million fruit-bearing, wood, and medicinal trees.
While the Asia-Pacific region boasts vast forests and diverse coastal environments, it also faces substantial risks from climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation. According to Ms. Kara Hurst, Amazon’s Global Vice President (VP) for Sustainability, addressing these challenges requires significant investments in both large-scale and local actions.
This funding stems from Amazon’s Right Now Climate Fund, a US$ 100 million initiative established in 2019 to promote environmental restoration and conservation projects that enhance biodiversity and climate resilience while delivering social and environmental benefits to the regions in which Amazon operates.
Amazon’s support extends beyond financial contributions. It involves developing programs with long-term sustainability. Farmers will receive initial assistance in selecting tree species that benefit their livelihoods and wildlife. Ms. Krithi Karanth, the Executive Director of the Centre for Wildlife Studies, has noted that farmers will additionally be provided with technical support, training in agroforestry practices, and aid in replanting saplings that might not have prospered.
Amazon, a co-founder of The Climate Pledge in 2019, has committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement’s goals. This initiative has garnered over 400 signatories spanning 55 industries and 38 countries, including nine Indian companies. Furthermore, Amazon India is making significant strides toward sustainability, aiming to power all of its global operations with renewable energy by 2025, five years earlier than its initial target year of 2030. These efforts include the launch of six utility-scale projects in India in 2022 and a commitment to integrate 10,000 electric vehicles into its delivery van fleet by 2025.
