Wednesday, 1st July 2026

Amazon

Amazon has announced an investment in one of the world’s largest nature based carbon removal programs, supporting the restoration of more than 50,000 hectares of degraded land in South Africa’s Eastern Cape through the large scale planting of spekboom shrubs. The project aims to restore the Albany thicket, a distinctive ecosystem that has declined after years of land use, while creating long term environmental, economic, and social benefits for local communities. As part of the initiative, 180 million spekboom cuttings will be planted by the end of 2028, helping transform an area more than twice the size of the city of Seattle. Spekboom, a hardy succulent native to the Eastern Cape, is known for its exceptional ability to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere at rates comparable to young tropical forests while thriving in harsh climatic conditions where many other plants struggle. The plant also restores soil moisture, improves soil health, and creates conditions that allow native grasses, shrubs, and trees to return naturally, encouraging the recovery of birds, insects, mammals, and other wildlife that have disappeared from the region over decades. Today, the project area is home to 165 recorded plant and animal species, including several considered vulnerable by conservationists. The ecological significance of spekboom restoration has earned international recognition, with the United Nations naming it one of its World Restoration Flagship initiatives. Beyond ecosystem restoration, the project places strong emphasis on community development. Amazon’s support is expected to create around 11,000 jobs by 2030 in one of South Africa’s most economically disadvantaged regions while providing training for local businesses in ecological restoration. The initiative is also projected to generate more than $500 million in economic value through wages, procurement, landowner payments, and community investment, strengthening livelihoods alongside environmental restoration. To support the long term viability of the project, Amazon has committed to purchase 1.95 million tonnes of high quality nature based carbon removal credits generated through the restoration program over more than a decade. This represents one of the largest private sector commitments to nature restoration in South Africa and provides the long term demand needed to scale the initiative. Amazon’s commitment also enabled the World Bank to launch the innovative Spekboom Outcome Bond, giving investors greater confidence because a future buyer for the carbon credits had already been secured. The carbon removal credits generated by the project will meet internationally recognised standards, carrying both the ABACUS label and Climate, Community and Biodiversity certification. Kara Hurst, Amazon’s Chief Sustainability Officer, described the initiative as a story about nature, community, ingenuity, and scale, highlighting that spekboom alone cannot restore the land without the support of the people who live in the Eastern Cape. She noted that the project demonstrates how nature based solutions can deliver climate action while creating jobs and supporting economic development. The project is already underway, with the first phase launched in April 2024 involving 30 million plants across 10,000 hectares, while Amazon’s investment will enable more than 50,000 additional hectares to be restored. The initiative has also received a high AA.pre Standalone Rating from BeZeroCarbon, indicating a strong likelihood that its carbon credits represent real and verified carbon dioxide removal. The restoration program forms part of Amazon’s broader Climate Pledge commitment to achieve net zero carbon across its operations by 2040 while advancing high quality carbon removal and ecosystem restoration at scale.