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land occupied and biodiversity impact
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- Land occupied and biodiversity impact
- Ensure that the 12.8 hectares of planting still outstanding at Oxbow and Brookhouse is undertaken by the year-end. ACCEPTABLE PROGRESS
- Raise, through the RSPB Visa credit card, over £2 million for Britain's threatened wetlands over the period 1999-2002 inclusive. TARGET ACHIEVED
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performance
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commentary
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Background The world is losing biodiversity at an ever increasing
rate as a result of human activity. The UK lost over
100 species in the last century.
Footprint The land occupied by the bank (primarily leasehold)
is 4.6 hectares (approximately 480,000 ft2). Whereas the
amount of land subject to significantly enhanced biodiversity
as a result of bank donations is ninety times greater. The
Co-operative Bank has no significant land holdings of its own.
UK wetlands The bank and the Royal Society for the
Protection of Birds (RSPB) have raised £2,144,575 for Britain's
threatened wetlands over the three years 1999-2002. The
RSPB receives £18 for every account opened and a further
£2.50 if the card is still being used six months later. In addition,
the RSPB receives 25p for every £100 spent using the card.
Bank monies have contributed towards the rehabilitation of
365 hectares of reed-bed, including the conversion of 300
hectares of arable land to wetland in East Anglia via the
creation of 8km of bank, 21km of channels, 20 acres of
shallow and deep pools and the planting of 250,000 reeds.
Over the period 1996 to 2001, nesting pairs of Reed Warblers,
Sedge Warblers and Reed Bunting have increased from 4 to
250, 6 to 122 and 6 to 67 respectively. This habitat will become
increasingly important as existing coastal wetlands are
destroyed by rising sea levels. Since 1997, the bank has been
the 'Species Champion' for the bittern (and is one of only 18
commercial companies to support the Government's Species
Championing Scheme to date) and has been working with the
RSPB to restore and extend reedbed habitats at Wigan
Flashes, where the bittern is known to over-winter. In 1997, the
UK's population of breeding bitterns was estimated as just 11.
The number of calling or booming males heard in the country
now stands at 29. During 2001, the bank recommitted to being
the Species Champion for the bittern, and will provide financial
support of £30,000 over the period 2001 to 2003 inclusive.
This is in addition to the £479,186 raised for Britain's wetlands
via the RSPB credit card in 2002.
UK woodlands In 1997, the bank committed £300,000 to the
development of four community woodlands in Greater
Manchester. The four sites were all formerly landfill sites or
open cast mines. The total area in management amounts to
more than 250 hectares (approximately one square mile). The
North West of England has one of the lowest ratios of tree
cover in England, and the bank's sponsorship has already led
to the creation of over 42 hectares of new woodland consisting
of Birch, Alder, Oak and Ash trees. During 2002, half a hectare
of new woodland was planted at Brookhouse. Forestation at
Brookhouse (4.3ha) and Oxbow (8ha) did not progress as
planned due to the fact that the recycled organic waste
supplied as a planting medium required a longer period of
'composting down' than originally envisaged. Planting of the
remaining 12.3ha is expected to take place in the autumn of
2003.
During 2002, the bank launched a new community woodlands
website.i To mark its launch, the bank donated 10,000 trees
for planting in twelve community woodlands across the North
West of England. The first 10,000 visitors to the website were
given the opportunity to nominate their preferred planting site
for the trees. The trees will be planted in the autumn of 2003.
Biodiversity audits undertaken at the bank's four community
woodlands have highlighted that the woods are already home
to over 50 bird species of Conservation Importance with six UK
Priority Species (Bullfinch, Grey Partridge, Linnet, Reed Bunting,
Song Thrush and Sky Lark) sighted. The water vole, a UK
Priority Species, has also been detected. Lists of the wildlife
recorded at each of the four woodlands are available on the
community woodlands website.
Tropical rainforest In 2002, the bank once again extended its
range of green mortgages. Every year that a
customer holds a mortgage, the bank pays Climate Care to
offset a fifth of each household's carbon dioxide (CO2)
emissions. During 2002, this equated to a total carbon offset
of 4,670 tonnes of CO2. To date, all monies have been used to
support a rainforest restoration programme in Kibale National
Park in Uganda. Not only will the renewed forest 'absorb' CO2
from the atmosphere, it has also enhanced an important
wildlife habitat by over 10 hectares to date. The areas that
have been planted for the bank are still too young to have
attracted primates, however chimpanzees and baboons have
started to migrate into adjacent reforested areas. As the
number of mortgages grows, the income generated for carbon
offset is increasing. In 2003, in addition to reforestation in
Kibale, the bank will fund three new carbon offset programmes. The bank is
considering extending its carbon offset programme to include
personal car finance loans. The bank, via payments to Climate
Care, would offset a fifth of the car's annual CO2 emissions.
Initially, these monies will further support reforestation in
Kibale - so helping the UK attain its target on greenhouse
reductions of 20% by 2010. (Follow this link for details of the bank's mortgages and our carbon offset programmes) ii
Total impact The amount of land with significantly increased
biodiversity as a result of the bank's initiatives is ninety times
greater than the land occupied by its operations, and is now
417.7 hectares. In July 2002, the bank was 'Highly Commended'
in Business in the Community's 'Business in the Environment'
award category for its integrated approach to Climate Change
and Biodiversity.
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- www.co-operative-woodlands.co.uk
- www.co-operativebank.co.uk/personal/mortgages_environment.html
To follow any of the links mentioned within the Partnership Report 2002, please visit the links page.
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new target
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- Ensure that the 12.3 hectares of planting still outstanding at Oxbow and Brookhouse is undertaken by the year-end.
Liz Thompson, Ecological Analyst
- Raise, through the RSPB Visa credit card, over £2.5 million for Britain's threatened wetlands over the period 1999-2003 inclusive.
Jim Walker, Head of Business and Affinity Relationships
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The above data and commentary has been audited by ethics etc... |
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2000
2001
2002