Our planet faces an extremely serious climate emergency, which represents a major threat to life as we know it and requires urgent action. We believe it is the responsibility of actors – governments, institutions, companies and individuals – to do everything possible to contribute to stop and reverse the effects of global warming. One important contributor to CO2 emissions is air travel. Since most people in the sociable weaver team are based in Europe and do fieldwork in South Africa, the project activities are associated with a high level of CO2 emissions related to flights. We try to mitigate the effect of our travels through donations to ecological restauration projects in Africa (Angola) and Europe (France and Portugal).

Currently, the main beneficiary is the Mount Moco project in Angola, which works towards restoring the highly threatened) Afro-montane forest on the country’s highest mountain. Mount Moco’s forests are home to four Angolan endemic bird species, including the Endangered Swierstra’s Francolin, but the forested area has been reduced from an estimated 200 ha in the 1970s to under 80 ha now, as a results of clearance for agriculture and firewood harvesting (mostly for domestic use) and grassland fires burning into forest due to them being opened up. The Mount Moco Conservation Project is working with the local community living at the foot of the mountain to restore the Afromontane forest. They started a native tree nursery as a source of trees for reforestation work at the mountain, and are working with the local community of Kanjonde towards finding alternative solutions to the unsustainable collection of wood for fire or construction and avoiding forest fires.

In France we support ASPAS , an organisation that purchases land to allow the natural regeneration of habitats.