Zurich Financial Services (UKISA) Ltd
In response to the devastating impact of the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami, Zurich staff members raised money to help restore areas affected by the flooding. As a result of this initial donation, Earthwatch and Zurich Financial Services established a three year scientific research and community engagement project to restore appropriate mangrove species at three agreed sites in Sri Lanka.
This partnership began in 2006 and was coordinated on behalf of Zurich by the Zurich Community Trust (UK) Ltd.
The primary objective of the programme is to restore community managed mangrove stands at selected sites around the coast of Sri Lanka and for these to help sustain livelihoods and improve knowledge on how restoration processes of mangrove forestation can best be managed to create coastal protection, maximise the ecosystem through sediment accretion and ultimately provide direct benefits to the people of Sri Lanka.
In 2007, the partnership between Earthwatch and Zurich was further strengthened as an employee engagement programme for 18 of their employees was launched.
Partnership Elements
Stakeholder Involvement
Zurich joined the Corporate Environmental Responsibility Group at the end of 2007.
Employee Engagement
Over the duration of the programme we will engage 18 Zurich employees on the project, offering them the opportunity to work as volunteer field assistants alongside local experts, the local community and scientists. The Zurich Employee Fellowship Programme was designed to help communicate the environmental message to employees through the business and around the world and increase awareness and understanding of all staff who learn about the scheme - not only those who apply or who are selected.
The programme is a hugely motivating and inspirational experience for the selected employees, who are required to act as ‘Champions' for the environment within the business when they return. With the help of a grant of £250, they can use the Earthwatch experience to engage colleagues in understanding and contributing to Zurich's key environmental objectives by creating local work-based initiatives.
Community Investment
This programme involves a large investment in the local community, via the establishment of mangrove stands managed by the local communities for sustainable use and involving and employing local people, training local students in order to build regional capacity around mangrove reforestation. This involves:
- Recruiting and funding a Sri Lankan postgraduate student to manage the sites and the local people working on it. This student will carry out their PhD on the project with support from the Universities of Napier and Ruhuna;
- Collaborate with local NGOs and fishermen organisations with expertise in mangrove planting to build community engagement and establish mangrove nurseries;
- Recruiting 54 local community volunteers and NGO/conservation professionals to assist with replanting and research programme.
Environmental Research
Zurich supports development of a new Earthwatch project ‘Mangroves of Sri Lanka', this project contributes to Earthwatch's Priority Research Area on Oceans. The primary objective of the Project is to restore community managed mangrove stands at selected sites around the coast of Sri Lanka and for these to help sustain livelihoods and improve knowledge on how restoration processes of mangrove forestation can best be managed to create coastal protection and maximise the ecosystem through sediment accretion and otherwise so as to ultimately provide direct benefits to the people of Sri Lanka.