Where do you plant trees and why?
Since 2020 Trace has been buying trees on behalf of customers from Eden Reforestation, a reputable charity with years of tree planting experience. In 2025, Eden shifted its impact model beyond tree planting. In response, Trace ceased planting trees with Eden because Trace could no longer guarantee the number of trees planted per customer. Since Trace ceased donating to Eden, funds have been deployed to carbon offsets.
Overview of Eden's evolution (in their words)
Strategic Evolution: From Tree Planting to Landscape Restoration
Over the past year, Eden has undergone a significant transformation. We've evolved from Eden Reforestation Projects to Eden: People+Planet, reflecting our shift from tree planting to comprehensive landscape restoration. This evolution was driven by our learning over 20 years that trees alone don't solve the complex challenges facing communities and ecosystems.
Most importantly, in 2025, we made the strategic decision to focus exclusively on carbon-eligible landscapes that combine philanthropic support with carbon market mechanisms. This shift ensures the long-term sustainability of our work and allows us to make 40-year commitments to communities - something impossible under traditional funding models.
Where donations go: Our Partnership Framework
Your donations have supported community-driven landscape restoration following our standardized budget framework:
- Landscape Partnership (7-10%): Stakeholder engagement, governance, and coordination with local communities and government partners
- Sustainable Livelihoods (35-37%): Community development programs, alternative income opportunities, and capacity building
- Mosaic Landscape Restoration (55-56%): Direct restoration activities, monitoring, and long-term maintenance
This allocation ensures that the majority of your support reaches ground-level implementation while building the community partnerships essential for lasting impact.
Our Methodology and Standards
Eden follows a standards-based approach guided by international frameworks:
- Community-Centered Implementation: All projects begin with Free, Prior, and Informed Consent from local communities
- Science-Based Restoration: We use indigenous species selection and natural regeneration techniques proven effective in each landscape
- Long-Term Monitoring: Projects include comprehensive monitoring systems tracking forest cover, biodiversity, and community outcomes
- Verification Standards: Our carbon-eligible projects follow Verra Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and Climate, Community & Biodiversity (CCB) Standards
Trace's support has contributed to Eden's work across multiple landscapes. While we've closed our philanthropic-only operations to focus on carbon-eligible projects, the impact of your past contributions continues. Currently, we're implementing:
- Active Carbon Project: Rubeho Mountains, Tanzania - 394,000 hectares of landscape restoration
- Projects Under Design: Dakatcha Woodlands (Kenya), Marolambo (Madagascar), Musokotwane-Nyawa (Zambia), and Olokeri (Kenya)
The Path Forward: Multiplication Through Carbon
Under our blended finance approach, philanthropic support enables carbon project development, which then generates verified carbon credits. This creates sustainable funding that supports communities and ecosystems for 40+ years rather than the typical 3-5 year project cycles.
This means your future support doesn't just plant trees - it unlocks self-sustaining landscape restoration that continues long after the initial investment.