Biodiversity

Commentary

Background Around one in ten of all the world's bird species and a quarter of its mammals are officially listed as threatened with extinction, while up to two-thirds of other animal species are also endangered.i

Context Since 2000, the bank has reported its land footprint. This year, accounting systems have been extended to capture the space occupied by CIS' buildings, as well as car parking space across the whole of CFS.

Land footprint The total area of land subject to biodiversity enhancement, as a result of bank donations, is forty three times greater than the land footprint occupied by CFS.
Land footprint - Bank Land occupied by the bank totals 6.7 hectares (approximately 720,000 sq.ft). Nine branches and three main offices (the Pyramid, Stockport, Olympic House, Salford and Pennylands House, Skelmersdale) are owned by the bank, representing 31% of staff at January 2004. The remaining premises are leased.
Land footprint - CIS Land occupied by CIS totals 7.7 hectares (approximately 825,000 sq.ft). Eleven small offices, and two main offices (Miller Street, Manchester and Portland Street, Manchester) are owned by the CIS Life Fund, representing 60% of office based staff at January 2004. The remaining premises are leased.

UK wetlands - Bank Between 1999 and 2003, the bank and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) raised over £2.5 million for Britain's threatened wetlands, (£505,500 during 2003). The RSPB receives £18 for every account opened and a further £2.50 if the card is still being used six months later. In addition, the RSPB receives 25p for every £100 spent using the card. Monies raised in 2003 facilitated the rehabilitation of 550 hectares of reedbed. Most noteworthy, 96 hectares of arable land were converted to grazing marsh, lowland meadow and reedbed at Otmoor Reserve in Central England,ii and a further 89 hectares in Mersehead, Scotland.iii Populations of birds that rely on this important habitat, such as Reed Warblers, Sedge Warblers and Reed Bunting, have increased nationally to 80,000, 270,000 and 240,000 pairs respectively. In the past, populations of the Marsh Harrier had dwindled, becoming restricted to a southern distribution. However, the bird is undergoing a strong recovery and continues to increase and expand its range northwards, with birds now breeding as far north as North East Scotland. Since 1997, the bank has been recognised as the 'Species Champion' for the Bittern,iv and has been working with the RSPBv to restore and extend reedbed habitats at Wigan Flashes,vi where the Bittern is known to over-winter. In 1997, the UK's population of breeding Bitterns was estimated at just eleven. The number of calling or booming males heard in the country now stands at 43.

Tropical rainforest - Bank In 2003, the bank once again extended its range of green mortgages. Details of the bank's green mortgages can be found here. These account for the vast majority of CFS' carbon offset programme, as described below. Every year that a customer holds a mortgage, the bank pays Climate Care vii to offset a fifth of each household's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Offset is realised via a process of either 'sequestration' (whereby monies fund habitat restoration and CO2 'absorbtion') or 'abatement' (whereby monies fund CO2 reduction initiatives). The bank approves its offset projects with Climate Care on a case-by-case basis, and in 2003 consulted customers as to their preferences. Follow this link for details of offset projects approved by the bank. In 2003, following customer consultation, 60% of offset monies were used for reforestation in Kibale, Uganda. To date, the bank's mortgage customers have funded the restoration of 27 hectares of rainforest in Kibale National Park. The planting process begins in the nursery, where 30 species of local trees and shrubs are tended until large enough to plant out. A major barrier to the natural regeneration of the forest is the rapid growth of elephant grass, which needs to be hand cut at least three times a year. Whilst the areas planted on behalf of the bank are too young to have attracted primates, chimpanzees and baboons have started to migrate into adjacent reforested areas. Securing the involvement of local communities is central to the project's success. The reforestation programme in Kibale, and its sister programme in Mount Elgon, provide work at times of the year for up to a thousand people. The project has also attained certification from the Forestry Stewardship Council.viii Further details of the bank's mortgages are available on its website.ix

UK woodlands - Bank In 1997, the bank committed £300,000 to the development of four community woodlands in Greater Manchester. The four sites were all formerly landfill sites or opencast mines. The total area under management amounts to more than 250 hectares (approximately one square mile). The North West of England has one of the lowest ratios of tree cover in England, and the bank's sponsorship has led to the creation of 48.5 hectares of new woodland, consisting of Birch, Alder, Oak and Ash. These new woodland areas are beginning to mature, with some of the pioneer species, such as Alder and Birch, reaching over five metres tall. During 2003, 4.3 hectares of new woodland were planted at Brookhouse Wood and 1.5 hectares were planted at Oxbow Wood. The remaining 6.5 hectares of forestation at Oxbow Wood did not progress as planned following a reappraisal of the site's Management Plan, and will now be developed as meadow and scrub habitats. During 2002, the bank launched a new community woodlands website.x The website provides information for visitors on the habitats and species found within the community woodlands. To mark its launch, the bank sponsored the planting of 10,000 trees across twelve community woodlands in the North West of England. Based on nominations by visitors to the website, trees will start to be planted by Groundwork in the autumn of 2004. Biodiversity audits undertaken at the bank's four community woodlands have highlighted that the woods are already home to over 50 bird species of Conservation Importance, with six UK Priority Species (Bullfinch, Grey Partridge, Linnet, Reed Bunting, Song Thrush and Sky Lark) already sighted. The water vole, a UK Priority Species, has also been sighted. It is the bank's intention to undertake biodiversity audits across the four community woodlands in 2005. To find out more about the wildlife recorded at each of the four woodlands, see the community woodlands website.x

Born Free - Bank In 2003, the bank developed a relationship with the Born Free foundationxi for the relaunch of its Youth account. Donations will be made to the Born Free "elefriends project", which will provide project information and conservation related gifts to account holders. The "elefriends project" aims to protect elephant populations in Sri Lanka. As farming land encroaches on elephants' traditional ranges, they often turn to crops for sustenance and are driven off; causing young elephants to be separated from their parents. In 1900 there were 12,000 elephants in Sri Lanka, now there are less than 4,000. An Elephant Transit Home (ETH) has been established at Udawalawe National Park to provide medical attention, food, shelter, and the companionship of other elephants. Once they are grown, young elephants are returned to the wild in Udawalawe National Park.

Proteus biodiversity information service - CIS During 2003, CIS became a partner in the Proteus Project, which aims to create an international biodiversity information service. The project is supported by The United Nations Environment Programme and the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. The goal of Proteus is to provide accessible, relevant and reliable biodiversity information for practitioners and decision-makers on a world-wide basis.

i The Royal Society (2003). Measuring Biodiversity for Conservation.
ii www.rspb.org.uk/countryside/managingreserves/studies/otmoor/index.asp
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iii www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/m/mersehead/index.asp
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iv www.ukbap.org.uk/SpeciesGroup.aspx?ID=7
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v www.rspb.org.uk
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vi www.bitterns.org.uk/projectsummary/summaryofaction/page.php?pageID=55
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vii www.climatecare.org
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viii www.fsc-uk.org
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ix www.co-operativebank.co.uk/personal/mortgages_environment.html
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x www.co-operative-woodlands.co.uk
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xi www.bornfree.org.uk
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