At Tentsile, outdoor adventure and respect for the natural world are at the very heart of what we do; our mission is to get people out into the trees, working together to protect and preserve global forests by raising the flag on environmental issues.Â
Did you know that since the 1960’s nearly half of the World’s rainforests have been lost? (1) This is a sobering thought – in just 60 years humans have wiped out centuries of growth, damaged countless fragile ecosystems and demolished the habitats of many thousands of species. As part of our unwavering commitment to environmental preservation, Tentsile are playing our part in tackling the current challenges facing the planet by planting trees to regenerate forests and offset emissions, whilst supporting numerous organisations around the globe to protect old growth resources.
Since 2017 we have planted a whopping 742,000 trees! (this is the size of 5936 football fields!!)
We want to shout it from the treetops! We have only gotten this far thanks to you, the Tentsile Tribe, and we really couldn’t have done it without you! For every Tentsile Tree Tent purchased we plant 20 trees, and we’ll also match any donation that our customers make to plant trees through our website.
So how do we do it? We work with some fantastic grassroots organisations across the globe with the expertise, local knowledge and know-how. They are working hard to go some way to redress the balance both by protecting existing forests and running sustainable tree planting projects. Even with COVID threatening to overshadow the environmental crisis, these projects have continued to make incredible progress. Here’s what we (and you!) have helped them achieve so far.
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Sustainable farming in Luanshya, Zambia
WeForest are supporting hundreds of local farmers in Luanshya, Zambia, to be financially independent and adopt sustainable farming methods such as bee-keeping, egg-rearing and vegetable-growing in return for protecting Miombo woodlands. Farmers also receive training and support to establish home-based tree nurseries which in turn will increase forest growth even further. This region has felt the impact of mining and deforestation for charcoal production over the years, contributing to the effects of climate change and the degredation of local environments. Through education and community engagement, WeForest are seeing great success in the region - almost 3 million trees have been planted, with an estimated 362,310 tons of CO2 sequestered and 2499 hectares of land restored.Â
Watch this short film to find out just why this work is so important and how it all works on the ground:
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Tree planting and fuel-efficient cooking stoves
In India WeForest are supporting 75 traditionally forest-dependent villages in the east and north of the Khasi Hills to restore their forests by establishing natural fire lines to protect the trees and restoring endangered flora.
Fruit trees have been distributed in the area and 52 fuel-efficient cooking stoves have been given out to local residents to encourage a reduction in fuelwood consumption. Residents have also received training and joined volunteers and the team in the tree planting effort, helping to plant over 2 million trees so far, and restore 2800 hectares of land.
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Replanting and Protecting forest systems
We have been working with Eden Reforestation Projects since 2015 supporting projects across Madagascar where there is a rich biodiversity of more than 200,000 species of plants and animals that are unique to the island. Shockingly, 90% of Madagascar’s original forests have been destroyed. Eden Projects work to restore the devastated mangrove estuaries and build local economies in impoverished communities.
In the Kijabe Forest in Mozambique, Eden Projects is replanting and protecting forest systems, and the conservationists who are surveying, planting and patrolling the area sleep amongst the trees in Tentsile Tree Tents!
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Protecting the rainforests in Queensland, Australia
Rainforest Rescue protect over 350 hectares of Daintree rainforest in North Queensland, Australia, which is habitat to many endangered species. They do this by purchasing the land in order to protect it from development, conserving biodiversity through reforestation programmes, and sharing their learnings to raise awareness. The Daintree area is one of the most biologically diverse rainforests in the world and is unique in that it has clear water run-off from the mountains to the lowlands and eventually into the reef so it’s vital that the clearing of trees and development is prevented to avoid contamination of this water.
Tentsile donated a Tree Tent for the prize giveaway as part of their awareness-raising social media campaign, and provided a Tree Tent for their photographer to camp out in comfort the rainforest while taking photos of endangered species.
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Raising the public’s awareness of the devastating impact of global deforestation, and increasing consciousness around how we can each play our part is key to what we do. If you want to learn more and get involved, here are some useful resources below:
Sumatran Orangutan Society – Rainforest Home Appeal
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You can also donate to plant trees with Tentsile via the website here. However many trees you pledge, we’ll match it!Â