Mezimbite Forest Stiftung

The foundation pursues the following purposes: protection and restoration of biodiversity and biomass, including forests, by creating and promoting alternatives to the continuous consumption of forests and landscapes; afforestation and reforestation of cleared areas; regeneration of areas through ecological land and forest management; restoration of water flows; promotion of the uptake and storage of carbon in revitalized soils and forest biomass over long periods of time to offset carbon emissions from other parts of the world; creation of sustainable and regenerative alternatives to current neocolonial practices of resource management, where both the responsibility and benefits of resource use are distributed more fairly; modification of the microclimate at local and regional level through the restoration of native biomass, creation of seasonal shade and protection, reduction of extreme pressure differences and consequently the mitigation of wind speeds as well as the improvement of moisture management and hydrology; promotion of food security through nutrient-rich, healthy and biologically grown food that benefits both the earth and consumers; training and education of farmers and transfer of skills and technology; facilitation of access to and security of land allocation for qualified local farmers; training and promotion of the establishment of local cooperatives; in underdeveloped regions of the world, particularly in the dry tropical forests of southern Africa, the Miombo biome, which includes South Africa, Eswatini, Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia, the southern Democratic Republic of Congo, parts of Botswana, Namibia and southern Angola, but also in regions such as the Sahel zone, Ethiopia and Ghana as well as in all other dry tropical regions of the world. To achieve these goals, the foundation may cooperate with the local population, particularly with underprivileged local farmers, to support and promote such local cooperatives and projects. The foundation has a non-profit character and does not pursue any commercial purpose. The foundation is entitled to establish further foundations in Switzerland within the scope of its purpose and to pursue joint projects with domestic and foreign institutions. It is also entitled to establish other domestic and foreign legal entities and cooperatives and to acquire and hold participations in other domestic and foreign legal entities and cooperatives. The founder reserves the right to change the purpose in accordance with Art. 86a of the Swiss Civil Code, with the exception that the founder and any person closely related to him/her may not become beneficiaries of the foundation (restriction for tax exemption).