SDG 4 - Quality education for all

Long-term nature conservation begins with knowledge, participation and the opportunity to to become active yourself. That is why we support environmental education projects in Canada, Peru environmental education projects. In Peru, Forest Guardiansruns local environmental education projects in the communities communities around our protected areas. In Canada, together with with Eagle Wing Tours, we take school classes to the fjords of the temperate rainforests to the importance of ecosystems directly on site. And in Germany, we motivate thousands of schoolchildren every year with the Wilderness Run, to take responsibility for nature and see themselves as part of a global solution. solution.

SDG 6 - Clean water

Forests give us stable rain: The plants of the Amazon basin transpire 20 billion tons of water every day, which becomes clouds in the atmosphere clouds in the atmosphere (Meineke, M. 2024). This corresponds to twenty times the amount of water that evaporates over the sea! This is how they create the largest freshwater river on earth. Through this constant evaporation and the exhalation of water vapor, the forest the forest itself provides the rain it needs and makes it a rainforest.

The rainforest also acts as an immense water reservoir and water purifier. The rainwater that is not immediately absorbed by the plants seeps into the forest soil, which filters and purifies the water. Without the forest would run off directly into the rivers and not remain in the region, which would would remain in the region, which would result in regional water cycles being that there would be a lack of drinking water and rain in the region in the future. This would make it much hotter and drier - a trend that would be exacerbated by deforestation rates in the Amazon are already on the rise. Every protected square meter of rainforest therefore contributes directly to the preservation of local and global water cycles.

SDG 13 - Climate action

The global temperature rise is to be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2030. by 2030. By protecting existing high-carbon forests, we are helping to achieve SDG contribute to the achievement of SDG 13. The Earth's forests bind as much CO₂ as is present is present in the entire atmosphere. If such carbon-rich ecosystems ecosystems are destroyed, they release more CO₂ than can ever be absorbed again in a would ever be possible to bind again in a period of time relevant to humans. As much as 10 to 15% of all annual emissions are caused by the destruction of forests and the draining of peatlands (Le Quéré et al., 2017, Friedlingstein et al., 2022).

SDG 14 - Life below water

SDG 14 calls for the prevention by 2025 of all forms of marine pollution, in particular from land-based activities. from land-based activities, be prevented and significantly reduced. be achieved. When forests are cut down, their nutrient-rich topsoil is washed away by rain. washed away by the rain. The soil is washed into the rivers, which become eutrophic and carry too many nutrients into the sea. By protecting forests and their rivers, we are also preventing marine pollution and thus directly directly support the achievement of SDG 14.

SDG 15 - Life on land

SDG 15 calls for the protection and restoration of terrestrial ecosystems by 2030 terrestrial ecosystems, especially forests. By protecting intact rainforests we are helping to achieve this goal. Deforestation and the resulting resulting land degradation and desertification are prevented. At the same time At the same time, we enable the renaturation of adjacent areas, because only if existing nature is preserved, biodiversity can spread again from there. spread from there. This is an essential prerequisite for the restoration of damaged forests, areas and soils - especially for those affected by desertification affected by desertification, drought and flooding.

SDG 17 - Partnerships to achieve the goals

In line with SDG 17, we are forming effective civil society partnerships to promote sustainability, especially in the private sector. Without our corporate partners, we would not be able to protect as much old-growth forest as we do today. so far. They take responsibility and, with their commitment to nature conservation even leading the way as pioneers in their sector.

SDG 10 - Less inequality

We work in regions with structural power imbalances - between North and South, urban and rural, rich and poor. We are aware of this imbalance and want to make a targeted contribution to reducing it through long-term partnerships, fair salaries and capacity building to help reduce it. We do not see ourselves as a "Western solution", but as a learning organization in direct exchange with local with local actors, indigenous communities and broad local alliances. alliances. This also includes critically reflecting on our own role and responsibility for structural justice, for example in our dealings with First Nations First Nations in Canada or local communities in Peru.

SDG 11 - Sustainable cities and communities

We also facilitate change at a local level. In our agroforestry project with Peruvian farmers, we have been combining sustainable production since 2023, local self-sufficiency and ecological reconstruction. Our goal is to promote resilient communities that actively contribute to climate stabilization. In Dresden, we have not only improved the city's climate with the "My Tree - My Dresden" project, we have not only improved the urban climate, but also raised awareness of global connections.

SDG 12 - Responsible consumption and production production patterns

This sustainability goal requires initiatives and companies to introduce sustainable processes and include sustainability information sustainability information. Many of our partner companies protect a piece of old-growth forest with every product or service or calculate their footprint in order to reduce it and offset the remaining CO₂ emissions through old-growth forest protection . They usually also involve their customers in the process, who can grow the company forest themselves by making further donations. In this way we contribute our part to SDG 12.