Blue Dart, an express logistics service provider has planted 1,03,170 trees in the Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary along with its tree plantation partner, GrowTrees.
A part of the Deutsche Post DHL (DPDHL) Group, the express logistics provider is driving this Green Campaign which will improve elephant habitats considerably and offset over 20,00,000 kgs of carbon per year on maturity.
The initiative is a part of the organization’s Sustainability Roadmap that acts as a detailed guide in aiding the organization’s goals to give back to the communities and the environment it operates in. The roadmap details three crucial elements – clean operations for climate protection (Environment), being a great company to work for all (Social) as well as being a highly trusted company (Governance).
The express logistics provider also boasts keen animal and environment enthusiasts, as a part of its team in Jharkhand, Ranchi, and Jamshedpur, all of whom have contributed by planting saplings in the area between 07th and 12th August 2021. The trees planted include local tree species such as Tendu, Jackfruit, Bamboo, Mango, Shisham, Jamun, Karanj, and Guava.
The Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary, located in East Singhbhum, proves to be a haven that boasts one of the largest elephant populations in the country. With an undulating terrain that includes high hillocks, plateaus, deep valleys, and open fields between hillocks, this sanctuary is known to be a paradise for elephants and provides a diverse habitat for flora and fauna. Situated in the catchment area of the river Subarnarekha, the sanctuary stretches over an area of 195 sq. km providing ample space for the elephants to peacefully coexist without any interference from human settlers.
An environment and animal enthusiast himself, Ketan Kulkarni, CMO & Head – Business Development, Blue Dart, says, “Blue Dart has always been an organization that takes every necessary step in Connecting People, Improving Lives. World Elephant Day brings into focus the African & Asian Elephants who we need to protect from poaching, habitat loss, and human-elephant conflict. Keeping this in mind, we wanted to ensure that our tree plantations can contribute towards securing a future for this wondrous species by reducing human-elephant conflict, keeping elephants from entering and feeding on cropland, and approaching residential areas around forests in search of food.”
He adds, “The significance of making changes today to ensure there is a tomorrow, has never been more urgent than it is now. The IPCC has very recently announced a Code Red for Humanity and the impact that this creates, not only for us but on future generations and the blameless organisms we coexist with, is immense. Visible change can only be made by all of us together.”
Bikrant Tiwary, CEO of Grow-Trees said, “By conserving natural habitats and restoring forests, we help protect elephants, support local communities, and ensure natural resources are available for generations to come. The plantation of trees will keep the elephants and other wildlife out of human settlements and help them migrate smoothly by connecting protected areas. This will enable a safer coexistence of animals and humans. The trees will help with richer food sources and breeding landscapes for wildlife, strengthening their population. Furthermore, the increased vegetation in the region will help in controlling soil erosion, improving moisture conservation, enhancing the water table, and contributing towards the prevention of severe drought and flood conditions, and forest fires.”
Under its credo of Connecting People, Improving Lives, Blue Dart undertakes ‘Go Programs’ that focuses mainly on three aspects namely GoTeach (Championing education), GoGreen (Protecting the environment), and GoHelp (Disaster management response), all three of which have been successfully impacting communities and the environment. These initiatives are in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, a universal call to action by the UN to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
Blue Dart aims to achieve Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050 under the DPDHL Goal ‘Mission 2050’. The brand aims to set the standard for the future of the express logistics sector and do its part to help the world. Under the Mission 2050 initiative, over four years, Blue Dart has contributed to over 10% of the DPDHL Group’s global target of planting 1 million trees each year. In addition to this, in December 2011, Blue Dart announced India’s first end-to-end GoGreen Carbon Neutral Service across international and domestic markets. This service has been subscribed by over 2,871 environmentally responsible customers till 2020.
