HSBC Group is creating a five year, US$50 million eco-partnership, Investing in Nature, to fund conservation projects around the world.

By making its largest-ever single donations to three charities, World Wildlife Fund, Botanic Gardens Conservation International and Earthwatch, the new Investing in Nature program will: protect some of the world’s major rivers, preserving extraordinary biodiversity; help save 20,000 rare plant species from extinction; and, train 200 scientists and send 2,000 staff to work on vital conservation research projects worldwide.

“Companies as well as individuals have a responsibility for the stewardship of this planet, which we hold in trust for the future,” said HSBC chairman Sir John Bond, at the launch of Investing in Nature today in London. “If we don’t act now, by 2025 over 60% of the world’s population could face a water shortage. We are also facing a global extinction crisis with thousands of species and habitats under threat.”

With HSBC’s US$18.4 million funding, WWF will protect 5 million acres of river basin habitats in the Rio Grande in the United States, Amazon in Brazil, the Yangtze in China, returning the natural flow of rivers, protecting fish and other freshwater species, and securing fresh drinking water for millions. A special two-year component will also focus on restoring the Florida Everglades and ensuring that state and federal agencies fully implement the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.

A US$11.6 million donation to Botanic Gardens Conservation International will fund a living gene bank in botanical gardens around the world to protect 20,000 endangered plant species. BGCI will also raise public awareness of the value of plants through its 500 member gardens in 111 countries, and will revitalise conservation in 16 major gardens in India, Indonesia, Brazil, Argentina and the Middle East.

Another US$16 million donation will also be used to train 200 young scientists around the world, and HSBC staff will work alongside Earthwatch scientists on conservation projects worldwide, who will be given grants for local conservation projects.

“WWF believes that, globally, freshwater is a critical environmental issue with perhaps the greatest risk of conflict between peoples. At least one billion of the world’s poorest people don’t have access to safe drinking water. We want to help turn this around, and with HSBC’s support we can embark on a major new programme to stem the decline in four of the world’s key freshwater systems,” said Garo Batmanian, CEO of WWF Brazil.