Question 1

What is Biodiverse Carbon?

Accepted Answer

Biodiverse Carbon is a carbon footprint compensation mechanism based on a subscription model consisting of a monthly donation.

Question 2

How does Biodiverse Carbon work?

Accepted Answer

Anyone interested needs only to sign up to their prefered plan and submit their payment to become a Guardian and start the process of offsetting their individual carbon emissions.
 
This payment is directly applied in the implementation of a set of field actions carried out by VERDE, namely:
preservation of trees, or Green Giants, which naturally capture carbon, in particular through the attribution of a grant to the owners of these structures, which we call Keepers of Giants.
creation and restoration of new areas and installations for carbon sequestration, in particular through tree planting

Question 3

Who is part of the Biodiverse Carbon ecosystem?

Accepted Answer

The Guardians, Keepers and VERDE are part of the Biodiverse Carbon ecosystem.The Keepers of Giants are owners, managers or tenants of properties with large trees that have joined VERDE with the mission of preserving them. The Guardians of Giants are all those who voluntarily want to reduce, calculate and offset their carbon emissions by financing actions on the ground for the preservation and regeneration of nature and learn with VERDE how to reduce personal carbon footprint. VERDE bridges the gap between Caregivers and Guardians by developing the Biodiverse Carbon ecosystem on three main fronts: • Raising funding and training citizens who want to reduce their individual carbon footprint by subscribing to the Biodiverse Carbon plans and companies that need to offset the emissions they are unable to reduce, designing together with VERDE a solution aimed at their needs; • Coordination of teams and mentoring of caregivers, in the field, to preserve biodiversity;• Ongoing scientific work to ensure the certification of offsetting carbon emissions through this project.

Question 4

Why is it relevant to have a compensation mechanism focused on the preservation of Green Giants?

Accepted Answer

Trees play an essential role in the ecosystem, having the ability to sequester carbon while producing oxygen, among other vital services. Due to their size, the Green Giants provide an ecosystem service of distinct value because bigger trees can support a more significant number of microhabitats essential to biodiversity. However, after starting a project to map Green Giants, we realised that since 2017, only in Lousada, more than 450 trees have disappeared, with 16% of these related to unknown causes. Part of our role is to raise awareness to the importance of these structures and create conditions to reduce the disappearance rate through projects such as Biodiverse Carbon.

Question 5

Who can be a Guardian?

Accepted Answer

Anyone interested in reducing, estimating and offsetting their ecological footprint can become a Guardian of Giants. We accept subscriptions from companies or citizens over 18 years old.

Question 6

How can I become a Guardian?

Accepted Answer

Simply choose your Biodiverse Carbon plan on this page and proceed to the checkout to fill in your personal details and payment method. 
This step is only required the first time you subscribe, as the plan renews each month. The amount for your plan will be automatically charged through the same payment method that was originally selected. It is important that you enter your e-mail to access the benefits of being a Guardian.

Question 7

What are the benefits of being a Guardian?

Accepted Answer

In addition to investing in a better future based on a greater consideration for nature and the environment, by subscribing Biodiverse Carbon you will be entitled to your Guardian Kit, which includes:
weekly tips, sent by newsletter, to complement your effort to reduce your ecological footprint
regular reports of your personal impact as a Guardian, sent by e-mail
information, sent by e-mail, about preserved and planted trees (species, location, dimensions)

Question 8

How can I offset my footprint by subscribing to Biodiverse Carbon?

Accepted Answer

By subscribing to a Biodiverse Carbon plan, you become a Guardian of Giants and contribute to offsetting your individual footprint by financing VERDE's action on the ground to preserve natural structures that sequester atmospheric carbon. The amount invested is applied as follows:50% - preservation and regeneration of large trees;30% - ecological restoration and tree planting; 20% - for internal management, fundraising actions and support for Guardians and Keepers. With the funding obtained from subscribing to compensation plans (from individuals or companies), the project manages to guarantee the investment in the preservation of the previously identified Green Giants, through the payment of the Tree Management Subsidy to its owners (Keepers) who contractually comit to maintain and manage these structures for the duration of the contract.In this way it is guaranteed (annually) that the Green Giants continue to fulfill their role of carbon sequestration and production of other ecosystem services. This territory's carbon sequestration capacity is also complemented by the planting of young native plants in areas under ecological restoration actions, based on funding obtained through the Guardians, thus allowing, in the long term, to exponentially increase the carbon sequestered in the territory.

Question 9

What are the differences between the different plans?

Accepted Answer

We have created 6 Biodiverse Carbon plans allowing you to select which one suits you better. 
The main difference among the plans lies in the monthly investment level, which corresponds to a different set of conservation actions that are implemented. For example, a Guardian for Eternity plan has the highest investment as it allows VERDE to preserve and plant a larger number of trees. Thus, it will also enable you to offset a more significant percentage of your personal carbon emissions.This table illustrates, in short and long-term scenarios, how each plan impacts the environment and your ecological footprint.

Question 10

What are the footprint reduction tips included in the Guardian's Kit?

Accepted Answer

After subscribing to a Biodiverse Carbon plan and becoming a Guardian, you will receive, for as long as your subscription stays active, a weekly e-mail with short tips about what you can do during your daily routine to reduce your ecological footprint in activities like shopping, travel, etc. You will also have the chance to provide feedback about the information presented and how it is implemented.
 
Currently, the tips provided result from a special partnership between VERDE and ANP/WWF. 
 
If you are not interested in receiving these tips, you can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link provided at the bottom of the newsletters.

Question 11

What does the Guardian's Kit personal impact report consist of?

Accepted Answer

After becoming a Guardian by subscribing to a Biodiverse Carbon subscription, you will be entitled to receive a personal impact report, which includes the impact of your investment, as calculated by our team of biologists.

Via this report, you will find out how many trees were planted, how many Green Giants were preserved with your support and the amount of ecosystem services provided during a determined period. You will also be presented with the percentage of personal carbon emissions that were offset by your subscription.

Question 12

What is the scientific methodology followed by VERDE to determine how compensation is carried out?

Accepted Answer

VERDE has mapped, georeferenced and characterized more than 7,400 Green Giants in the municipality of Lousada since 2017. This analysis includes estimations of the ecosystem services provided by these trees based on a tool developed by the US Forest Services (www.itreetools.org)
With this information, it is possible to calculate how many Green Giants have to be preserved and the ecosystem services generated by their conservation.

Question 13

How are the donations from Biodiverse Carbon used?

Accepted Answer

The funds raised through Biodiverse Carbon are distributed as follows:
50% to 65% is applied directly to the preservation of Green Giants
15% to 30% are used for plantation and ecosystem restoration activities
10% to 25% is used for internal management costs

Question 14

What are natural structures that sequester atmospheric carbon?

Accepted Answer

The natural structures that sequester atmospheric carbon are all those that have the capacity to provide this ecosystem service when well managed and in a natural way, namely large trees (but also small ones), ponds and marine meadows. Preservation actions for these structures are all those that improve their conservation status, safeguarding their ecological value in the habitat where they are found and reducing external pressures that could jeopardize their preservation. Investment in preservation can be used to improve the conservation status of large trees through: selective pruning and aeration, selective cleaning of weeds, control of invasive species, restoration of the surrounding habitat, construction of shelters for biodiversity, among others. The investment related to these actions will be distributed through the Subsidy for Management and Remuneration of Ecosystem Services to owners of natural structures that sequester atmospheric carbon who comit to preserve them by signing a contract with the management entities.

Question 15

How do I finance the creation of habitats that sequester atmospheric carbon?

Accepted Answer

Part of the investment raised through Biodiverse Carbon will be used to create and restore areas destined to provide ecosystem services, in particular, carbon sequestration. Within the scope of this mechanism, habitat restoration and creation actions must take into account the primary state of the area to be intervened, reducing as much as possible the pressure on space during interventions and always taking into account the future of the habitat. Investment in habitat restoration and creation actions can be used, for example, to improve the state of native forests through: creation and maintenance of a forest nursery, implementation of afforestation and reforestation program in degraded areas; invasive species control; selective weed clearing. The investment related to these actions will be used by VERDE, or others after a tender, to implement actions that clearly provide benefits in favor of long-term carbon sequestration.

Question 16

Can I cancel my Biodiverse Carbon subscription?

Accepted Answer

Yes, if you wish, you can cancel your subscription at any time. To do so, you just need to send us an email. We will proceed with the cancellation, which will only take effect in the month immediately following the day you have informed us.

Question 17

Can I consult the Biodiverse Carbon Regulation?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the Biodiverse Carbon Regulation is available for you to read, here.

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