Investments: What is the return?

As with all ecotourism and sustainable enterprises, investment in forests for the purpose of maintaining them or restoring them, is not for the faint hearted or those looking or a quick return.

 
Indeed we would class this investment in the ‘philanthropic investment’ category in the first instance, or one maybe looking to fund it through a particular corporate or Institutes’ carbon credit scheme.

 
We would hope to get returns in more than just financial gains including:

a)      Targets set for restoration and return of specific habitats or species to the landscape

b)      Realistic targets set for beneficial returns to local village communities, through employment, education, training and enterprise. This through community trusts or profit sharing schemes.

 
By the very nature of any such proposal or enterprise, a lot of hard work on the ground and a significant up front investment will be needed before any return can be sort or expected, with a variety of ‘stakeholders’ needing to be compensated and involved in the planned enterprise. The more actively the stakeholders are involved, including the Government (who own all forested lands) and the local farmers and villagers living on the periphery or inside any forest area the more quickly a return may be sought.

 
No ‘templates’ as yet exist for this form of investment in managed forested areas in India at the present time, though a large number do exist and have been functioning very well for years in other parts of the world, so TOFT intends to seek to prove such a template works in India.

 
For further details and discussion please do contact us.