Two Years of Strategic Shifts for Advancing Our Mission
Letter from the CEO
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As we look ahead to 2024, I am confident that the foundations we have laid this year will enable us to achieve even greater impact.
Dear Partners,
As we reflect on the past year, I am filled with a sense of pride and gratitude for the remarkable journey we have embarked upon together. The past two years (2022-2023) were pivotal for Eden: People+Planet (formerly Eden Reforestation Projects), marked by transformative growth and strategic shifts that have positioned us at the forefront of landscape-scale restoration.
Our mission has always been to partner with people to restore the planet's landscapes, and this year, we have taken significant strides towards that goal. By the end of 2022, we celebrated the monumental achievement of planting over 1 billion trees, a testament to our commitment and the tireless efforts of our global team and partners. This milestone is not just a number; it represents the transformation of land and lives, the restoration of ecosystems, and the hope for a greener future.
However, the period also brought its share of challenges. The departure of our founder, Dr. Steve Fitch, and the subsequent leadership changes, including my appointment as CEO, have been a time of reflection and reevaluation. At the beginning of 2023, we faced an unexpected reduction in revenue, which prompted us to accelerate our transformation plans and adapt swiftly to the evolving landscape of holistic environmental restoration.
Our response to these challenges has been decisive and forward-thinking. We have restructured our organization to enhance efficiency, streamline operations, and focus our resources on the most impactful initiatives. This requires us to expand our emphases far beyond simply tree-planting and embracing a program model that implements activities that address the root causes of degradation and deforestation. We have expanded our expertise by bringing in top-tier professionals in ecology, forestry, and environmental science, and invested in training programs to equip our team with the best practices in restoration methodologies.
Moreover, we have strategically merged our newly established carbon project development arm, Compassionate Carbon, with our historic reforestation programs to create an entirely new organization. This integration has allowed us to diversify our revenue streams and offer holistic environmental solutions that address the complexities of landscape restoration.
As we look ahead to 2024, I am confident that the foundations we have laid this year will enable us to achieve even greater impact. We are poised to continue our work with renewed vigor, innovative approaches, and a commitment to making a meaningful difference for people and the planet.
I am honored to lead Eden: People +Planet during this exciting time, and I invite you to join us as we think big, act at scale, and deliver real impact. Together, we can restore the earth's landscapes and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.
Thank you for your continued support and belief in our mission.
Warm regards,
Bryan Adkins CEO,
Eden: People+Planet
2022-2023
Milestones and Progress
1
2 Philanthropic partnership projects launched
3Carbon projects under development Billion+ trees planted
LATIN AMERICA
Brazil
Honduras
AFRICA
Ethiopia
Kenya
Madagascar
Mozambique
Tanzania
Zambia
ASIA
Nepal
The Philippines
Expansion into landscape restoration
Mission
Fostering healthy relationships between communities and the land on which we all depend through landscape restoration and conservation.
Vision Values
We envision a world where communities thrive in healthy and restored environments.
Trust + Collaboration
We work as a team, partner with others, and do it together.
Integrity + Openness
We do the right things and invite others to participate. Learning Growth We adapt pursue
Learning + Growth
embrace the need to adapt and change to pursue our best.
Empowerment + Impact
We promote ownership and agency for lasting benefits.
Operations
Executive Summary
2023 marked a transformative year for Eden: People+Planet as we shifted our focus from large-scale tree-planting initiatives to embracing landscape-scale restoration. This new direction involves a comprehensive assessment of the drivers behind deforestation, degradation, and biodiversity loss, leading to the development of intricate, multi-decadal plans to tackle these issues. As part of this shift, Eden is repositioning itself as a provider of restoration services, delivering programs that address the unique complexities of each landscape.
This significant evolution in our program model required us to implement strategic organizational changes, relaunch innovative products, and expand our expertise and capacity. A key component was refreshing our mission, vision, strategic objectives, and implementation methods to reinforce our commitment to landscape restoration and climate change mitigation. By merging our carbon project development arm with our traditional reforestation programs, we are targeting a hybrid market that includes philanthropic, institutional, and carbon finance investments.
Organizational Restructuring
In 2023, Eden: People+Planet underwent a comprehensive restructuring to enhance efficiency and streamline operations. This process involved redefining roles, improving communication channels, and optimizing workflows. While strategic downsizing across departments and projects resulted in significant layoffs and the closure of offices in Haiti and Indonesia, it allowed us to align human resources with revenue and invest in capacity building, skills enhancement and a robust program model. We strongly believe that these changes are crucial for designing and implementing
landscape restoration initiatives. This restructuring reflects our values of Empowerment + Impact by promoting ownership and agency for lasting benefits.
Expertise and Capacity Building
To support our expanded initiatives, we focused on hiring top-tier experts in ecology, forestry, and environmental science. This infusion of knowledge has significantly increased our organizational capacity. Additionally, we invested in training and development programs to equip our existing team with the skills necessary to implement cutting-edge restoration techniques and manage large-scale projects. This commitment to continuous improvement embodies our values of Learning + Growth and ensures we remain adaptive and forward-thinking.
Merging Carbon Project Development with Reforestation Programs
A pivotal strategic move in 2023 was integrating our carbon project development under Compassionate Carbon with Eden's traditional reforestation programs. This merger has allowed us to leverage synergies between the two entities and manage outputs to align with our impact goals. It also aims to diversify our revenue streams by incorporating carbon finance and institutional financing alongside our traditional mass-market engagement. This combined approach positions Eden: People+Planet as a leader in holistic environmental
solutions, demonstrating our values of Integrity + Openness by inviting partners to participate in meaningful and transparent collaborations.
Conclusion
The advancements made in 2023 have set a strong foundation for Eden: People+Planet’s future growth and impact. As we look toward 2024, we remain dedicated to our mission of restoring the planet’s landscapes. With a restructured organization, innovative new products, enhanced expertise, and a diversified market strategy, we are well-positioned to make a meaningful difference in the years to come. This report will highlight the exciting developments of 2022 and 2023, showcasing our commitment to thinking big and acting at scale to deliver real impact for People and Planet. We invite you to join us in shaping a sustainable future, guided by our core values of Trust + Collaboration as we work together to create resilient communities and restored environments.
International Programs
Executive Summary
Throughout a transformative year, our country teams remained deeply committed to restoring landscapes worldwide, achieving the remarkable milestone of planting over 73 million trees. Notably, our team in Honduras cleared over 100 kilometers of fire breaks, showcasing our dedication to landscape-scale restoration.
As we transition from a large-scale tree-planting organization to one that embraces a holistic landscape approach, we undertook a major
Achievements
fire breaks in Honduras
initiative to review our program model. Building on our strong tree-planting legacy and deep relationships with partner communities, we recognized the need for strategies addressing the long-term drivers of deforestation and degradation. Fortunately, we could build upon a wealth of research and practice in landscape
2 philanthropic projects with 360,000 hectares opportunity
73M trees planted Commonland collaboration
Restoring biodiversity and soils for healthy and resilient landscapes Commonland’s Four Returns Framework
Return of Inspiration
Providing people with hope and a sense of purpose
Social Return
Reinvigorating jobs, education, and social connections
2 1
Natural Return
3
Financial Return
Realizing long-term sustainable income for communities
4
restoration approaches. In collaboration with Commonland, we adopted their Four Returns Framework , which connects people to nature and each other. This framework addresses the principal losses from land degradation—loss of hope, social networks, biodiversity, and economic value—and aims to regenerate landscapes to achieve four essential returns.
We initiated the process of identifying areas across our country programs where a landscape approach was appropriate. This required reviewing our operational footprint and developing plans to consolidate our restoration activities to ensure sustained impact at a landscape level. By the end of 2023, we successfully completed assessments for two crucial ecosystems in Mozambique and Kenya, where Eden already had a strong presence.
Philanthropic Partnership Initiatives
Chimanimani Landscape Restoration Project
The Chimanimani Landscape Restoration Project, situated in the Manica Province of Mozambique, is a 206,000-hectare initiative aimed at restoring and conserving the unique biodiversity and ecosystem services of this vital area. At the heart of the project is a mosaic landscape restoration approach that combines community land use planning, tree planting, natural regeneration, and biodiversity conservation. The Chimanimani Mountains, which form the core of this initiative, are home to an impressive array of endemic plant species and are crucial for providing water resources through the Buzi River to thousands of people. Since 2021, Eden has been actively restoring Miombo forests in the region, collaborating with local communities and stakeholders to develop sustainable land use strategies that address deforestation drivers, such as slash-andburn agriculture and uncontrolled fires.
Eden's approach in the Chimanimani Landscape focuses on integrating conservation agriculture and agroforestry with innovative livelihood strategies to boost community resilience and create new income opportunities. By diversifying income sources, improving market access, and developing non-timber forest product supply chains, the project aims to enhance the socio-economic well-being of local communities while fostering environmental sustainability. This comprehensive effort underscores Eden's commitment to people-centered restoration, where communities are integral partners in preserving their natural and cultural heritage. With initial restoration activities underway, the project is poised for expansion and is seeking funding to scale up its impact and ensure the long-term health of the Chimanimani ecosystem.
206,000 hectares
Fire mitigation
species control Forest connectivity to support wildlife and ecosystem functions
The Chimanimani Landscape Restoration Project
The Lamu County Restoration Project
KEY ACTIVITIES
Inland coastal and mangrove forest restoration
Agroforestry programs
154,000 hectares
Micro-health insurance
154,000 hectares
Lamu County Landscape Restoration Project
The Lamu County Restoration Project (LCRP) is a 154,000-hectare initiative aimed at balancing conservation, restoration, and climate resilience within Kenya’s critical coastal ecosystem. Expanding upon Eden’s previous mangrove reforestation efforts in Lamu County, the project seeks to restore ecological functionality, enhance human well-being, and preserve the region’s natural heritage. Lamu Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a significant tourist destination, is part of an archipelago that contains 60% of Kenya’s mangrove forest cover. However, centuries of unsustainable harvesting have led to the degradation of these mangroves, impacting local communities and the environment. Eden's efforts include working with local stakeholders to rehabilitate mangrove habitats, which play a vital role in carbon sequestration, fisheries support, and protection against storm surges and erosion.
Micro-health insurance
Eden's initial restoration work in Lamu, launched in 2020 in partnership with the Kenya Forest Service and local communities, has already achieved significant progress. Early successes include putting 1,120 hectares on a restoration path, developing innovative restoration techniques, and providing fair-wage employment and micro-health insurance. The project's next phase will expand efforts to include inland coastal forest restoration and introduce agroforestry programs to bolster climate resilience. These initiatives aim to strengthen community livelihoods by enhancing natural fisheries and agricultural productivity, directly tying the health of the mangrove ecosystem to local economic stability. This pre-feasibility assessment confirms that LCRP is a viable project, poised for broader stakeholder engagement and development planning.
Expanding Across Africa, Asia, and Latin America
Honduras
As of mid-2024, we have completed landscape assessments in our operational areas in Honduras and Madagascar and aim to complete additional assessments in Nepal, Ethiopia, and The Philippines by the end of the year. These assessments are an exciting milestone, setting the stage for Eden’s future growth and, most importantly, expanding our ability to support communities and the critical ecosystems they depend on with a longterm focus on impact and sustainability.
Our work aligns with Eden’s core values of Trust + Collaboration, Integrity + Openness, Learning + Growth, and Empowerment + Impact, ensuring that we act with integrity, foster partnerships, adapt to new challenges, and empower communities for lasting change. Through these values, we strive to bring hope and tangible benefits to people and the planet, making meaningful strides toward a more sustainable future.
Ethiopia
Madgascar
Nepal
The Philippines
Compassionate Carbon
A Two-Year Journey
Compassionate Carbon was launched in Fall of 2021 as a proof of concept to determine if we could secure a place within the carbon marketplace while Eden pursued the transformation of its reforestation projects into comprehensive landscape-scale restoration initiatives. Within a year we had come to a resounding yes to both! Now, under the umbrella of Eden: People+Planet, we are excited to transition our full program offerings guided by our strategic objectives aimed at enhancing impact, consistency, and global recognition in the nature-based solutions space.
Organizational Transition to Landscape-Scale Restoration
Our first objective has been to move from disaggregated reforestation efforts to cohesive, landscape-scale restoration projects funded by both philanthropic and carbon financed sources. To begin, we have focused on strengthening internal processes and building staff capacity to operate as a global landscape restoration organization by making a significant investment in building a world-class technical team. Together, this team has begun the process of refining
and documenting a programmatic approach based on standardsbased methods for restoration and conservation. Our decisions are informed by research and data, aligning with external standards such as Verra, CCB, Gold Standard, Plan Vivo, 4 Returns, and UN Article 6, alongside our internal Eden principles and goals.
Development of LaunchReady Restoration Profiles
Our goal is to complete 10 launchready landscape restoration profiles by mid-2025, encompassing seven philanthropic projects and three carbon projects. The projects are at various stages of development and include seven philanthropic projects in Chimanimani, Mozambique; Lamu, Kenya; Boeny, Madagascar; Cinturón Verde, Honduras; Nepal; Ethiopia; and the Philippines, as well as three carbon projects in Tanzania and Kenya.
Growing with Our Vision
To sustain our mission and vision, we aim to increase our annual gross revenue from $20 million to $65 million by 2028. This involves working
Path to 2025: Complete 10 Restoration Profiles
Tanzania and Kenya
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Carbon-funded initiatives Philanthropic projects
closely with clients and investors to design functional solutions through long-term programs that develop diverse and high-quality credits, including avoided emissions, converted GHG, biodiversity, and energy. Our technical team is actively reviewing external opportunities for fee-for-service and implementationas-a-service models, as well as supporting grant opportunities.
Chimanimani, Mozambique; Lamu, Kenya; Boeny, Madagascar; Cinturón Verde, Honduras; Nepal; Ethiopia; and the Philippines
Global Positioning and Engagement (2024 Onwards)
We are committed to positioning Eden: People+Planet as a globally recognized organization within the naturebased solutions space. This involves expanding our networks and strategic partnerships with like-minded and forward-looking groups and agencies.
Countdown to Launch
We have identified the Rubeho Mountains in Tanzania as a prime location for a landscape-scale carbon project. This initiative focuses on carbon sequestration through reforestation and emission reduction by avoiding deforestation and forest degradation. The project also offers substantial co-benefits for local communities and nature, enhancing livelihoods and well-being while protecting a globally recognized biodiversity hotspot. Our feasibility assessment confirms the project's technical, economic, and financial viability, alongside its positive environmental and social impact.
Deforestation and degradation in the Rubeho Mountains stem from agricultural expansion and timber and charcoal extraction. Shifting subsistence agriculture, often using slash-and-burn methods, has converted large areas, leaving the land fallow after soil depletion. This pattern is exacerbated by population growth and leads to altered ecosystems dominated by secondary grasslands. Active reforestation and fire suppression are essential to break this cycle and restore habitats. Providing alternative income opportunities and improving agricultural practices are crucial for alleviating economic pressures driving deforestation.
Poor natural resource governance, poverty, and limited economic opportunities in the project area
contribute to ongoing deforestation. Traditional management techniques have become insufficient, and access to updated knowledge and markets is limited. Additionally, urban demand for charcoal and timber exacerbates resource depletion. To address these challenges, several strategies are crucial: implementing participatory land use planning to engage local communities in decision-making, adopting community-based forest management to ensure sustainable resource use, improving farming techniques and providing alternative livelihood opportunities to reduce dependency on deforestation, and enforcing measures to curb land conversion and extractive practices to protect forest resources.
Despite legal protection, forest reserves face vulnerabilities due to funding gaps for enforcement. Compassionate Carbon presents a strong case for additionality to meet VCS requirements. The combined REDD+ and ARR 40-year budget is projected at approximately $295,469,232, positioning Eden as a key player in sustainable carbon solutions for the region.
Through these efforts, Compassionate Carbon continues to advance its mission of fostering healthy relationships between communities and the land, creating sustainable impact for people and the planet.
4
Communitybased forest management
Strategies to address deforestation
Efforts to curb land conversion and extractive practices
3
Improved farming techniques and livelihood opportunities
2
Finance
Financial Summary
As we reflect on 2022/2023, we're excited to share with you the financial journey and achievements of our organization over the past year. Despite a few bumps along the way, we're proud of what we've accomplished and are optimistic about the future.
Achievements and Impact
First and foremost, let's celebrate the incredible support we've received from our donors. In 2022, we were blessed with $36.3 million in contributions from individuals and business partners who believe in our mission to restore ecosystems and empower communities. Out of this total, $19.9 million was specifically allocated to projects that our donors are passionate about. This shows the trust and commitment our community has in our work, and we couldn't be more grateful.
On the ground, our efforts have made a significant difference. We've funneled $30.5 million into grants for our partners in countries like Madagascar, Kenya, and Nepal. These funds have directly supported reforestation projects, helping us restore landscapes and provide fair-wage jobs to local communities. Partnering with local communities not only boosts the environment but also uplifts the lives of those involved, creating a ripple effect of positive change.
Financial Health and Challenges
Now, let's talk numbers. By the end of 2022, our total assets were $9.7 million, with liabilities at $9.0 million. While this shows we’ve been managing our resources carefully, we did face a deficit in net assets without donor restrictions, amounting to $2.3 million. However, our net assets with donor restrictions stood at $3.0 million, leading to a total of $0.7 million in net assets. It's been a year of balancing growth and addressing financial challenges.
One area we identified for improvement is reducing our dependency on a few key donors. At the end of 2022, one donor accounted for 30% of our total revenue, and their unexpected departure in early 2023 was a big loss for us. Fortunately,
Fund Allocation & Impact
we were able to retain a $6 million deposit from a canceled agreement with this partner, that provided us some financial cushion as we navigate this transition.
Turning Challenges into Opportunities
In response to these challenges, we’ve taken steps to ensure our financial stability. We’ve enhanced our financial reporting systems, streamlined operations, and made tough decisions to reduce global staffing and operations by 45%. These measures have already shown positive results, with our liquidity improving to over $11 million, providing us with a stronger foundation for future endeavors.
Additionally, we’ve been working hard to diversify our donor base, enhancing our business partner and donor acquisition strategies. Our goal is to reduce our reliance on a small number of donors and build a broader
Total Contributions
Grants
Donor-Passion Projects
community of supporters who share our vision for the incredible impact that our new approach can bring.
Finally, we corrected a previous reporting error, which led to a restatement of our beginning net asset balances. While every organization can make a mistake, our commitment to transparency and accountability in the core values we uphold require us to present accurate financial reporting as our priority.
For Key Regions: Madagascar, Kenya and Nepal
Looking Ahead
Despite the challenges of 2022/2023 we remain optimistic about the future. Our resilience and adaptability have positioned us well to continue our impactful work in environmental restoration and community empowerment. As we move forward, we’re excited to build on our successes and work alongside our dedicated supporters to create a healthier planet for future generations.
Thank you for being a vital part of our journey. Your unwavering support and belief in our mission inspire us every day. Here’s to a brighter and more sustainable future together!
Thank You
Together, we are growing a future where we all thrive.
We deeply appreciate the support of our partners and donors over the years. Your generosity has enabled the design and implementation of long-term, targeted programs to plant + protect forests, restore + maintain biodiversity, and support + expand community livelihood options. Thank you for helping create meaningful change for people + the planet.
