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The WLT was set up by John and Viv Burton in 1989 with the aim of buying land in underdeveloped countries, restoring trees and plants which will improve the habitat for animals.听 In turn the plants will take in carbon dioxide (CO2) - offsetting the rise in carbon in the atmosphere.

Projects

The projects include building elephant corridors in India (effectively footpaths connecting nature reserves), replanted Atlantic rainforest in Brazil, buying an island in the Philippines to prevent its economic development and maintaining its only British reserve at Kites Hill in Gloucestershire.

Elephant corridor, India

People can help to buy an acre of land for a flat donation of 拢25. However, the title deeds are held by the WLT and eventually transferred to the local environmental organisations they work with.听 Contributors get a certificate.

The WLT's development officer Gerald Watts says revenue for 2006 topped the million pounds mark: "One cafe in Glasgow is papering the walls with certificates.听 One man gave his fiancee a certificate instead of an engagement ring."

So how does the WLT pick its projects? "They find us now," says Mr Watts "We look at the applications for biodiversity, value for money, a clear exit strategy where we can hand over to a local non-governmental organisation, political stability and room for growth.听 Working with NGOs avoids any notion that we're just interfering westerners.

"In our Ecuador rainforest project the locals have made the link between conservation work and preserving the water supply.听 There's a direct link with quality of life.

"Although our carbon-offsetting programme aims to discourage plane flights, we do see eco-tourism as a way of getting locals to preserve habitats, so we have to accept that air travel is part of this."

Green Party view

Suffolk's co-ordinator for the Green Party is John Matthissen: "WLT do a great job,听 particularly the purchase, protection and management of forest.听 Their carbon balancing work is well intentioned and makes people feel better about their lifestyle choices but this is potentially very damaging.听

"The 'short term carbon cycle' takes CO2 out of the atmosphere, stores it in living things (mainly plants) and these eventually decay or get burnt and release their CO2 back into the atmosphere.听 A cycle may take a few weeks or a few hundred years - both are very small time periods.

Violet capped woodnymph, Ecuador

"The 'long term carbon cycle' takes fossil fuels from hundreds of millions of years ago and dumps the CO2 from them into the atmosphere.听 Carbon balancing tries to offset this CO2 by putting it back into the 'short term carbon cycle'.听 Nice idea,听 but the planet cannot store even a tiny fraction of the world's carbon in a living surface layer.听 We need to either REDUCE the carbon we take out of the 'long term cycle' or find a way of putting it back into long term storage (carbon sequestration).听 The latter is fraught with difficulties and may leave us with a waste product even more dangerous and long lasting than nuclear waste.

"There is a need for individuals to directly cut their own emissions, in addition to funding investment in countries which can ill-afford to buy low carbon technology, and conserving and enhancing bio-diverse habitats, which if destroyed would release further carbon into the atmosphere."

Optimism

Overall the WLT sees people thinking more and more about preserving habitats and carbon use.听 Gerald Watts is optimistic: "There has been not only a rise in awareness, but also a rise in a commitment to action.听 It's not just the green fringe - people are making more of a connection between the world and their own lives.听听 A lot of people understand that CO2 affects climate change.

WLT project map

"Travel companies are realising they should give their customers an offset option.听 The next 50 years are absolutely crucial.听 The technology for a low carbon economy is there - capitalism could work in our favour and people judge companies by the steps they are making to reduce their environmental impact.

"Some people would say what we're doing is a finger in the dyke. But what is the alternative?听 It's remarkably cheap and it extends habitats - what we call dual purpose restoration ecology.听 As soon as it's related to people's health and to political stability then carbon balancing becomes more important.听 The encouraging thing is that Mexico, India, China and South Africa are all taking part in the debate."听

The WLT is just appointing a Carbon officer to monitor its projects.听 They also have links with the University of East Anglia's diploma in conservation and they offer internships.

Other links

Click on the weblinks on the right for more features about the environment and power, including two Video Nation films about coastal erosion in Suffolk>>