A year after a fire devastated Wareham Forest, wiping out critical habitats for wildlife across an area equivalent to the size of 350 football pitches, DPD’s innovative eco fund is helping to fund the restoration work.
Wareham Forest is a stronghold for wildlife and much of it is classified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It is one of the few places where it is still possible to find all six of the UK’s native reptiles, including the endangered smooth snake and sand lizard, and it is home to many rare species of birds and insects.
Forestry England launched a fundraising appeal to help with the restoration and DPD backed the appeal with a significant donation from its Eco Fund, part of the company’s wide-ranging sustainability programme. The money went towards a range of initiatives that will help revive the forest and reduce future fire risks. Forestry England is carefully restoring the forest and heathland of Wareham Forest to support a range of wildlife and habitats and connect landscapes.
The DPD Eco Fund is funded solely by the firm’s circular economy initiatives to protect the environment. Plastic shrink wrap used throughout the operation is broken down, and then recycled to create new plastic shrink wrap. The money generated from this, along with the recycling of wooden pallets, goes straight into the Eco Fund. Anyone can apply for a grant from the Eco Fund via the DPD Green website, and in just over a year, DPD has donated £220,000 to community groups, educational facilities and start-up companies, to fund green, ecological or sustainable projects benefiting the environment.
“Wareham Forest is a very special place and it was fantastic to be able to visit and find out first-hand about the work going on. I’m delighted the Eco Fund has been able to help in such a significant way and it is important for us to feedback to everyone at DPD how we can make a huge difference through working smarter and more sustainably. I’m very grateful to Forestry England for inviting us and hopefully we can work together on other initiatives up and down the country. “
– Olly Craughan, Head of CSR, DPD
