The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy

The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy was launched at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta, in 2015. The QCC is a unique network of forest conservation initiatives, which involves all 52 countries of the Commonwealth.

The QCC presents a rare opportunity to unite the whole Commonwealth family and save one of the world’s most important natural habitats – forests. By creating a pan-Commonwealth network of forest conservation projects, the QCC will mark Her Majesty The Queen’s service to the Commonwealth while conserving indigenous forests for future generations.

Key objectives:

1. The QCC is committed to raising awareness within the Commonwealth of the value of indigenous forests and to saving them for future generations.
2. It will create a unique network of forest conservation projects that brings collective credibility and integrity to individual Commonwealth initiatives.
3. It will raise the profile of the Commonwealth, demonstrating the capacity of its 53 member countries to act together as one to ensure forest conservation.
4. It will facilitate knowledge exchange activities, sharing best practice and creating new, collaborative initiatives that contribute to forest conservation across the globe.

The vision

The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy will create a coherent and vibrant network of forest conservation initiatives that, individually and collectively, demonstrate the capacity of the Commonwealth to act together and to benefit from shared knowledge and experience.

Participation will bring credibility and integrity to individual conservation projects, and promote the benefits of forest conservation.

The Partners

• Cool Earth: The award winning UK-based charity that works alongside indigenous villages to halt rainforest destruction
• The Royal Commonwealth Society: A network of individuals and organisations committed to improving the lives and prospects of Commonwealth citizens across the world
• Commonwealth Forestry Association: Links foresters, scientists, students and policy-makers throughout the Commonwealth to seek ways of wise forest management

Cool Earth is the perfect partner for the QCC because our partnerships with indigenous communities are the world-leading model for effective and sustainable conservation. Cool Earth has proved that community-led conservation works in Peru, The Congo, and Papua New Guinea. The QCC will replicate that model in forest across the Commonwealth.

Dense rainforest canopy

Sharing the idea

One of the main objectives of the QCC is to facilitate the sharing of skills and knowledge about forest management throughout the Commonwealth. Cool Earth’s model will be shared with other Commonwealth countries who are looking to develop rainforest protection initiatives.

Who can be a part of it?

Every Commonwealth country is invited to participate and nominate conservation projects.

Projects considered for inclusion in the QCC should have the endorsement of the relevant government and forestry or conservation authority, contain clear objectives that include sustainable forest conservation and encourage, where possible, the participation of local people in the management of the project.

As a flagship programme in The Queen’s name, it is important that the proposed projects are free of political controversy and unlikely to attract adverse publicity.

The Royal Commonwealth Society, in consultation with Cool Earth and the Commonwealth Forestry Association, coordinates an accreditation process to ensure that proposed projects meet the criteria for QCC inclusion.