For the second year in a row, MAPFRE has planted a total of 4,874 trees in the Cerdedo-Cotobade municipality in Pontevedra and another 1,667 in the Parque Natural de Sintra-Cascais in northern Portugal. It has also participated in an “avoided deforestation” project in Peru to protect a large area of intact forest and prevent it from being deforested.
Through the projects it has carried out in Spain and Portugal, the company has contributed to repopulating almost 5 hectares of areas affected by fires, with more than 6,500 new trees absorbing 4,000 tons of CO2e from the atmosphere. Together with its efforts in Peru, the company has offset a total of 13,294 tons of CO2e.
It’s all part of “MAPFRE Forest”, an initiative that encompasses the company’s reforestation actions, which are aimed at preserving biodiversity and natural capital as well as creating carbon sinks in the areas it operates in to neutralize part of its footprint.
For the second year in a row, the reforestation project in Pontevedra (Galicia) was carried out in Mount Borela, which has a history of being devasted by fires that occurred in 2016, 2017, and 2020. MAPFRE collaborated with the company CO2 Revolution, to recover tree mass with native vegetation by means of a system that combines massive planting via technological means with traditional planting methods, and it has established natural firewalls that minimize the risk of fire. The project has also pursued measures to support the area’s employment, economy, tourism and development in order to reduce rural depopulation.
In Portugal, also for the second consecutive year, MAPFRE has worked alongside the Plantar Uma Arvore association with the objective of restoring protected areas by planting 1,667 native trees of different varieties, which improves the survival rate, biodiversity, and fire resistance of the forest mass.
The “avoided deforestation” project in Peru has helped protect the Cordillera Azul National Park (PNCAZ), as well as promoting sustainable land use among local communities, helping families to diversify their income and develop quality of life plans, and strengthening ties with local and national bodies of government.
The insurance company recently began its “Virtual Forest”, which is part of the company’s Environmental Footprint Corporate Plan 2021-2030. It will inform employees of their daily energy, toner, and paper use, and of how they are contributing to reducing their use. The project helps explain to employees that for each ton of paper that isn’t printed, up to 20 trees will not be cut down, and 7,000 kWh of electricity and 5,000 liters of water will not be consumed.
Reforestation also helps promote corporate volunteering actions and sensitization about environmental protection. In 2022, employees in 15 countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Mexico participated in tree planting and natural area cleanup activities.
