HSBC family, friends, and staff volunteer to restore forests and support climate action.
38 HSBC family, friends, and staff joined SPES on June 16, 2022 volunteering in an evergreen oasis to restore Stanley Park’s native forests and support climate action.
As SPES program sponsors, HSBC Canada supports DIRT, our Dedicated Invasive Removal Team, that stewards 404 hectares of forest in three 3 to 5 hour sessions a week, or 140 sessions a year, and 12 free public EcoSteward events annually that allow the public to join in just like HSBC. Anyone of any background or any skill or knowledge level can learn to care for our green spaces and be a part of our scientific journey in Stanley Park.
As SPES tracks the growth of invasive species and the decline of native species, DIRT and EcoStewards take action. This work not only restores wildlife habitats, reverses the effects of invasive species, and rebalances ecosystems that thrived for centuries without human contact, it helps monitor climate change. The native huckleberry that thrives in Pacific Northwest forests, like those in Stanley Park, shrinks as climate change progresses with hotter dryer summers and colder longer winters. Ecologists and conservationists at SPES have been measuring the size of wild huckleberries for over 20 years as an indication of the effects of climate change on this species and on the natural world’s ability to adapt or survive the pending crisis.
The simple task of pulling invasive species helps native species thrive and reveals ecosystems that adapted and survived natural and human made disasters since before recorded history. This work provides native wildlife with the resources to nest and feed, tracks the effects of human-made climate issues, and restores Stanley Park habitats to be studied and enjoyed for generations to come.
Thank you to our wonderful sponsor HSBC for making a difference in Stanley Park! To join an EcoStewards event, check out our events calendar and you too can help restore Stanley Park habitats and support climate action.
