Sustainable Biz - Magazine - Page 12
project funds the collection of cones from
existing trees to reforest the area and help
create a more resilient landscape.
“All of our reforestation efforts in the South
Fork American River and Cosumnes River
support improving the water quality and
quantity for local agricultural activities
and residents who rely on these watersheds
for their lives and livelihoods,” said Brian
Kittler, Chief Program Officer, Resilient
Forests.
Between March and April 2024, 332,000
trees were planted on National Forest
System land. Later that year, around
1,500 bushels of cones were collected
and delivered, as a direct result of TCCF
funding, to nurseries for future planting. As
the watershed recovers, it’s expected to save
up to 1.2 billion litres in net runoff every
year. “There’s hope in these cones for future
forests,” said Leana Weissberg, California
Director, American Forests.
Reviving the Danube River Basin
For more than a decade, TCCF has
supported The Living Danube Partnership,
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initiated by the World Wildlife Fund Central
and Eastern Europe (WWF-CEE), the
International Commission for the Protection
of the Danube River (ICPDR) and local
and national stakeholders. The project is
helping protect and restore Europe’s second
largest river basin, which flows through 19
countries.
It’s estimated that more than 80% of
floodplains and wetlands along the
Danube River and its tributaries have
been lost and with them vital ecosystems,
goods and services - from fish and fowl
to water management and purification.
Compounding the loss is how wetlands can
continue to serve as a natural buffer against
flooding and droughts and act as carbon
sinks, which helps mitigate water stress and
climate change.
Since rivers know no borders, only collective
action can address this challenge effectively.
In 2021, The Living Danube Partnership
completed its initial restoration projects
in Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary,
Serbia and Romania, which improved
more than 5,000 hectares of vital wetlands,
rivers and floodplains and helped replenish
S U S TA I N A B L E B I Z M A G A Z I N E
MAY 2025
By restoring
floodplains, planting
trees, and improving
water systems, these
global partnerships
are securing the future
of clean water, while
supporting biodiversity,
livelihoods, and the
climate resilience of
entire regions.
