Spades Partners with Initiative 20x20 to Restore Forests on Degraded Lands

MINNEAPOLIS - PrZen -- Spades announces its partnership with Initiative 20x20, a country-led effort seeking to change the dynamics of land degradation in Latin America and the Caribbean by beginning to protect and restore 50 million hectares of forests, farms, pasture, and other landscapes by 2030.

Over 18 countries and three regional programs are already committed to improving more than 52 million hectares of land (or about 124 million acres, about the size of Nicaragua and Paraguay combined). Besides Spades, more than 95 technical organizations and institutions support the initiative. USD $3.13 billion in private investment is also backing the initiative.

Spades' first Caribbean project is in Belize. More than 80 unique ecosystems are under threat in this country. A loss of mangroves along its coast and around its islands threatens the world's second-largest coral reef. Unemployment and poverty rates are high.

The project includes the replanting of coastal mangroves, critical to the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the second-largest reef in the world. The work harmonizes land-uses so that environmental competition grows into sustainable resilience where everyone wins.

"We must act quickly to curb climate change. Restoration is key. Our Sustainable Belize project aims to restore and protect coastal ecosystems and forests," says Raymond Menard, CEO and Founder of Spades. "It promotes regenerative agriculture and fosters a sustainable economy in Belize."

Walter Vergara, Senior Fellow and Director of Initiative 20x20, said, "We take note that Spades is a Specific Benefit Corporation that works on climate change initiatives through reforestation and agroforestry projects around the world, including in Latin America. Spades' involvement in reforestation, protection and social engagement fits extremely well with the aims of the Initiative."

Spades is a Specific Benefit Corporation committed to developing profitable projects to reforest the world. Our vision is to sustain the world by integrating thriving human, environmental, and economic solutions. For more information, visit www.spades.life or Twitter @Spades_SBC.

World Resources Institute (WRI) 's Global Restoration Initiative is the secretariat of Initiative 20x20. WRI works with governments and international partners to inspire, enable and implement restoration on degraded landscapes, returning them to economic and environmental productivity. For more information click here or visit Twitter @restoreforward.