Trees Programme

Iberdrola to reach 5 million trees by the end of 2024, rising to 20 million by 2030

Nature Climate action Biodiversity

The Group promoted the planting of 3.4 million trees in seven countries between 2020 and 2023 as part of its Trees programme. The company is committed to planting 20 million trees during the next decade — with the primary objective of reaching 2.5 million by 2022 and 8 million by 2025 — to capture approximately 6 million tonnes of CO2 within 30 years.

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The Trees programme intends to plant 8 million trees by 2025 and 20 M by 2030. Video voice transcription (Spanish version) [PDF] External link, opens in new window.

The plan is part of Iberdrola's commitment to protect biodiversity and care for healthy ecosystems as crucial elements for sustainable growth. In this regard, the group, an international leader in the fight against climate change and a global leader in renewable energies, has set out to have a net positive impact on biodiversity by 2030.

When it comes to reforestation, the Trees programme will be decisive in mitigating and compensating habitats in which new infrastructures are built, promoting initiatives to reverse deforestation, and encouraging research and awareness in collaboration with Stakeholders. 

Some of the actions for the 2020-2023 period were:

Iberdrola has planted 3,600 trees and shrubs around the car park next to the Iberdrola Campus in Madrid, sponsored the planting of 17,000 trees in Chinchilla in Albacete province, and is behind several volunteer initiatives that have led to the planting of 7,690 trees.

Spain

We promoted the planting of over 932,000 trees on more than 900 hectares. The highlights are the projects of Carbon2Nature, totalling more than 770,000 trees, and those of the Bosque Defensa de la Fundación Iberdrola with over 100,000 trees.

The group's British subsidiary, ScottishPower, funded the planting of nearly 640,000 trees in 2020 and 2021 as part of the habitat managing and monitoring plans of wind farms. These are in addition to the nearly 1.2 million trees planted until 2019 covering a total area of 9,049 hectares. In addition, volunteer initiatives that have planted 420 trees.

United Kingdom

The Group's British subsidiary, ScottishPower, has planted over 880,000 trees around wind farms such as Kilgallioch, Hare Hill Extension or Glen App, among others. From Corporate Volunteering actions, 400 trees have been planted.

La filial de Iberdrola en Estados Unidos, AVANGRID¹, contribuyó a la creación y el establecimiento de nuevos humedales, incluida la plantación de 969 árboles para mitigar los impactos de humedales asociados con los proyectos de gas de su distribuidora RG&E.

United States

The US subsidiary AVANGRID¹ contributed to the creation and establishment of new wetlands, including the planting of 969 trees to mitigate impacts associated with RG&E gas projects.

Its Brazilian subsidiary, Neoenergia²,carried out the planting of more than 540,000 trees, especially for the creation of Permanent Preservation areas around hydroelectric power plants. In addition, its distributors reforested more than 75 hectares with nearly 95,000 trees and other plants native to the region.

Brazil

Neoenergia has promoted conservation and regeneration actions in the Permanent Preservation Areas, which surround the facilities. These efforts cover over 8,975 hectares. This is in addition to monitoring and conservation work on over 18,400 hectares.

One important project involved planting more than 40,000 trees in the perimeters of the Topolobampo III and Baja California power plants, which has entailed the recovery of more than 70 hectares in total. In addition, volunteer initiatives have made it possible to plant 3,000 trees.

Mexico

The planting of over 70,000 trees stands out. The actions include planting on the perimeters of the Topolobampo II, Baja California and Escobedo power plants, where 53,000 were planted. The volunteer initiatives enabled 15,000 trees to be planted. 

A Iberdrola plantou mais de 245.000 árvores em diversas ações de conservação com o objetivo de melhorar a disponibilidade trófica em áreas florestais e a conectividade entre florestas de ribeira e outras formações florestais, assim como para promover a conservação de espécies vegetais nativas.

Portugal

We have carried out reforestation actions with more than 377,000 trees. The measures are the Creation of Priority Habitat, planting of native species and cork oaks, recovery of riparian vegetation, improvement of river courses and revegetation of slopes.

Iberdrola has planted more than 65,000 trees in its project to promote ecosystems near the Pyrgari and Mikronoros wind farms.

Grecia

Iberdrola planted almost 75,000 trees in its project to promote ecosystems near the Pyrgari, Mikronoros, and Sarakatsanaiika wind farms.

What is the Trees Programme?

Iberdrola's Trees programme.
Iberdrola's Trees programme.


External link, opens in new window.

Branches of the Trees Programme

The Trees programme will branch into three main courses of action:

 Branch 1: Preserving natural heritage

The aim is to mitigate and offset the habitats affected by the occupation of new infrastructures.

  • The company has already identified opportunities to plant 4.8 million trees between 2020 and 2030. In 2020 and 2021, 2.4 million trees were planted.
  • Work will also be done to identify additional actions linked to new investments.

 Branch 2: Replenishing and creating natural value

The intention is to correct forest loss by carrying out projects and initiatives to plant trees on land belonging to Iberdrola and on third-party properties. This branch includes:

  • Projects promoted by Carbon2Nature totalling over 770,000 trees.
  • Projects carried out by the group's foundations, such as the Forest Defence External link, opens in new window. plan by Fundación Iberdrola España, which involves planting over 100,000 trees in the Spanish army's shooting ranges and military practice grounds. 
  • In 2022, the Forest seeks village to grow up in challenge was launched, through the PERSEO international start-up program and in collaboration with Start-up Olé and with the support of the European Commission. A pioneering program to promote the recovery of natural spaces in depopulated areas of Spain and Portugal through the conversion of burned or vacant land into forests.
  • Operating tree planting projects on Iberdrola land.
  • Collaborating in reforestation projects with other organisations and Stakeholders.

 Branch 3: Social value: research and awareness

The goal is to foster shared knowledge by encouraging research projects with Stakeholders and carrying out awareness raising initiatives.

  • Continuation of Iberdrola's International Corporate Volunteering Programme, through which 70,000 trees were planted and sown between 2020 and 2023.
  • Several research projects will be implemented in collaboration with Stakeholders.
  • Organising awareness raising initiatives. The company will be exploring other initiatives with NGOs, customers, etc.
  • Iberdrola collaborates in the Re-Plant Madrid initiative External link, opens in new window., to act for the damage caused by Filomena.
  • Iberdrola became part of the World Economic Forum's 1t.org Corporate Alliance with the commitment to plant 20 million trees to recover, regenerate and promote the value of ecosystems.

The programme includes a monitoring plan to report and follow-up all these actions.

In line with the major international strategies

 SDG 15: Life on Land

Iberdrola's Trees programme is very much aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on the United Nations 2030 Agenda, especially SDG 15, which involves promoting the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halting deforestation, restoring degraded forests and substantially increasing afforestation and reforestation globally.

 EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030

The plan also ties in with the European Union's 2030 Biodiversity Strategy External link, opens in new window., which seeks to plant 3 billion new trees in the next decade according to fully eco-friendly principles.

 UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

This project is equally relevant to the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration External link, opens in new window. (2021-2030), which highlights the need to replenish forests, soils and wetlands and create green areas in cities so as to mitigate the effects of climate change and achieve the target set to reduce emissions by 2030.

1Avangrid, Inc. is 81.50 % owned by Iberdrola S. A.

2Neoenergia, S. A. is owned indirectly by Iberdrola S. A. with 50 % + 1 share.