Restoring Forests. Sustaining Life.

Harnessing the forest of investment potential requires pruning the risks in afforestation.

Globally, over three billion people are impacted by land degradation (UN 2024). Land restoration is essential for the well-being of humanity. The way we handle our land now will determine the future health of our planet.

Between 2015 and 2019, the world lost at least 100 million hectares of healthy and productive land annually—an area twice the size of Greenland. This alarming trend underscores the urgent need for action, as worsening land degradation threatens to destabilize markets, communities, and ecosystems worldwide (UNCCD 2023). Despite regional variations in land degradation trends, UNCCD data highlights a pressing concern: if current trends continue, we will need to restore an astonishing 1.5 billion hectares of degraded land by 2030 to achieve the land degradation neutrality targets outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Without proactive intervention, degraded land risks becoming wasteland. In such conditions, traditional crops and trees struggle to survive or grow effectively. However, plants play a crucial role in soil recovery and can serve as a foundation for restoring degraded landscapes.

Discover our innovative solutions to combat land degradation and champion sustainable development by boosting tree and plant survival. Our solutions aim to improve investor returns while contributing to climate resilience, habitat preservation, and community support. Our large-scale regreening projects have the potential to generate returns through carbon offset credits, timber, agroforestry benefits, enhanced ecosystem services, and job creation, nurturing a sustainable and prosperous future.

Spades offers strategies and solutions aimed at transforming degraded land into productive ecosystems. We also understand the importance of giving soil a chance to recover, particularly in regions where high tree mortality has been a persistent challenge.

Let’s regrow a greener world together.

Reforestation is an unprecedented opportunity.

According to a 2024 report from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, restoring over one billion hectares of degraded land and enhancing drought resilience will require at least USD 2.6 trillion in total investments by 2030. This translates to approximately USD 1 billion in daily investments from 2024 until 2030 to meet global land restoration targets and address desertification and drought challenges.

Trillions of dollars are earmarked for a diverse array of climate change initiatives. Extensive research shows that trees play a crucial role in removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, while dense forests enhance local climate resilience. Tree assets can mature to over 20 times their costs, potentially facilitating investments that may achieve over 20% IRR. However, projects can be risky, and tree mortality can be high.

Spades’ unique capabilities help derisk afforestation.

Ecofit™ biotechnology selects native tree and plant species in alignment with their ecological requirements, allowing foresters and other stakeholders to screen and rank trees based on their suitability for local conditions and site objectives. Balanced finance helps drive returns for all stakeholders. Our project portfolio is implemented by planting partners who possess the majority of the world’s regreening capacity.