Greenchoice
Since 2020, Wetlands International has collaborated with Greenchoice, a Dutch energy company committed to sustainability. Greenchoice is dedicated to accelerating the energy transition in the Netherlands, supplying 600,000 customers with green electricity and gas. Encouraging its customers to reduce their electricity and gas use, Greenchoice has set its goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Additionally, the company helps to safeguard and restore forests and wetlands, recognizing their many benefits for climate, people and nature.
Together we aim to be a catalyst that leverages further climate action by pioneering novel solutions and sharing our knowledge and experiences. Our first joint project focuses on mangrove restoration in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa. In 2024 we started two peatland projects in Mongolia and Peru following a period of stakeholder consultations.
The project in Guinea-Bissau will restore at least 2,500 hectares of mangroves, removing carbon directly from the atmosphere and making a positive contribution to the local biodiversity and community in the process. We expect that with the return of mangroves, bird diversity will increase and manatees, humpback dolphins and otters will thrive in the restored mangrove sites. Mangrove restoration measures will be combined with sustainable development and people will directly benefit through jobs, restoration work and biodiversity monitoring. Greenchoice and Wetlands International adopt and promote Community Based Ecological Mangrove Restoration. Mangroves restored in this way survive and function better than planted mangroves.
The project in Peru aims to restore at least 2,600 hectares of peatlands within the 53,000 hectares National Reserve of Lake Junin, reducing carbon emissions from the damaged peatlands, or ‘bofedales’, and at the same time making a positive contribution to the local biodiversity and communities. We expect that along with the restoration, biodiversity will increase, such as the number of endangered Junin Grebe. The peatland restoration measures will be combined with introduction of best practices on grazing management, supporting long term sustainable livelihoods for the indigenous farming communities.
The project in Mongolia aims to restore around 25,000 hectares of degraded peatlands across 4 main project areas (Gatchuurt, Khurkh, Khashaat and Orkhon), reducing carbon emissions from the damaged peatlands and making a positive contribution to the local biodiversity and community in the process. This will be further enhanced by to the prevention of permafrost melting and associated avoidance of emissions. The peatland restoration measures will be combined with improved grazing management aiming to support long-term sustainable livelihoods for the indigenous Yak herding communities.