Flights for Forests is a voluntary carbon offset scheme started by the Jesuit Conference Asia Pacific (JCAP). Flights for Forests seeks to generate commitment amongst Jesuits and Jesuit institutions globally to support natural resource management at the local level and contribute to helping rural communities affected by global, economic, and climate changes.
Recognizing the impact of Jesuit travel and work in the environment, the JCAP Reconciliation with Creation program developed a simple carbon offset scheme encouraging Jesuits and partners to participate by contributing US$5 for every flight taken. The money is used to support local and indigenous youth in rural areas to care for creation in very practical ways of regenerating forests and water in their communities in several countries in the region.
Where ‘Flights For Forests’ is Making an Impact?
In the Philippines, activities for forest regeneration began in 1994 in the Pulangi watershed in Mindanao and the idea of flight contributions was realized in 2010. Flights for Forests helps in the regeneration of natural water sources so that communities have clean water, rich biodiversity, and stable soils. All of these contribute in sustaining an agroforestry but needs greater economic and social inclusion. The Environmental Science for Social Change, a Jesuit research and training organization, manages a youth program in the uplands that is regenerating both the forest landscape and accompanies the indigenous youth in caring for their ancestral domain. In Bendum, some of the related youth activities to Flights for Forests include identifying and planting indigenous tree species, teaching natural resource management in the community school, establishing and taking care of seedlings in tree nurseries, developing local forest policies to
prevent forest fires, and designing a regeneration walk through the forest for visitors.
