Kate Reeves, an HSBC employee from Gerrards Cross is setting off for two weeks of wildlife conservation in Brazil. Her expedition is part of Investing in Nature, an £11 million, five-year eco-partnership between HSBC and environmental NGO, Earthwatch Institute (Europe).
Kate, a Human Resources and Strategy Manager will be leaving her desk in the London office, and joining Earthwatch-supported scientists who are monitoring bats and small mammals in the Pantanal, a unique ecosystem that is threatened by intensive cattle ranching, the pet trade and gold mining pollutants. Bats are important players in this ecosystem, dispersing seeds, carrying parasites and pollinating trees, but they are very sensitive to ecosystem changes and must be monitored. Small mammals can provide paths for disease to spread, so it is important to monitor their health to develop good management strategies and disease control mechanisms.
Working as part of an integrated conservation and research programme Kate will spend one week capturing bats with mist nets in order to take measurements and the second week weighing, measuring, and assessing the health of small mammals as part of a wider effort to conserve this threatened ecosystem.
Kate says, ‘I hope that this experience will broaden my environmental and cultural horizons while allowing me to learn new skills, in what sounds like one of the most incredible places on earth. I am fully prepared to give this project 100% of my energy and enthusiasm.'
Kate was selected from more than 220 thousand HSBC employees around the world and is just one of 500 HSBC Environmental Fellows who will work on Earthwatch conservation projects in 2005, ranging from Spanish dolphins to zebras in Kenya.
Over a period of five years, HSBC is offering 2,000 employees the opportunity to become involved in scientific field research and take part in vital conservation projects worldwide. By 2006 HSBC employees will have contributed the equivalent of a century of environmental research and 200 talented scientists will have received valuable training. The HSBC fellows will also be eligible for a grant of up to £400 to initiate a local environmental project on their return home.
The five-year Investing in Nature partnership also involves Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), and WWF, and is the largest ever single donation to each of the environmental charities. In addition to Earthwatch's contribution, Investing in Nature will clean up three of the world's major rivers, benefiting 50 million people who depend upon them, and help save 20,000 rare plant species from extinction.
Irene Dorner, HSBC General Manager, Southern Division said: ‘Investing in Nature is well on the way to meeting its five year goals. It's HSBC's largest donation ever but it's about more than that, it's about people. Our employees will be investing a massive amount of time and energy in conservation and we expect it to change them, and us. We want HSBC Fellows to become environmental ambassadors within the company, sharing what they learn with colleagues. The benefits shared between environment, community, business and individuals are a sure sign of a sustainable approach.'
Dr Roger Mitchell, Director of Research and Education at Earthwatch, said, ‘Investing in Nature is a great example of how businesses and NGOs can work successfully together. We are able to link the network of HSBC employees worldwide with the environmental knowledge available from Earthwatch scientists to raise awareness and understanding of environmental issues on a global and local level.'
‘Our work with HSBC, allows us to fulfil our mission by engaging their employees in scientific research projects and at the same time we are all able to further support the efforts of HSBC in promoting a sustainable environment.'
To date, 1,000 HSBC employees from over 45 countries have contributed the equivalent of over 60 years of one scientist on vital environmental research in projects around the world through the Earthwatch programme.
The HSBC Group:
HSBC Holdings plc is headquartered in the UK. The HSBC Group serves over 110 million customers worldwide from approximately 10,000 offices in 76 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa. With assets of US$1,154 billion at 30 June 2004, HSBC is one of the world's largest banking and financial services organisations. HSBC is marketed worldwide as ‘the world's local bank'.
Investing in Nature:
For more information, please visit www.hsbc.com/investinginnature
• To date 800 HSBC employees from over 45 countries have joined Earthwatch projects
• More than 50 developing scientists have been sent on Earthwatch projects in Brazil, Malaysia, Australia, Philippines, Ghana, Cameroon, South Africa, China gaining the skills to run their own in country environmental research projects;
Photo credit: © Melinda Nye