The Queen's Commonwealth Canopy (QCC) is an initiative begun in 2015 as a network of forest conservation programmes throughout the 54 countries of the

Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the ...

. By 2016, 16 countries had become involved, and by 2019 the number was 46.

Origins

The idea was conceived by UK Member of Parliament Frank Field in the 2000s, but was met by apathy from the political establishment. When he raised the idea at a Buckingham Palace meeting the concept found support from

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

Launch

The initiative was officially launched at the

2015 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting The 2015 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, also known as CHOGM 2015 was the 24th Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Nations. It was held in Malta from 27 to 29 November. Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena han ...

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. Its aim is to establish a global network of protected woodland. The three organisations behind the project are The Royal Commonwealth Society, the Commonwealth Forestry Association, and

Cool Earth Cool Earth is a UK-based international NGO that protects endangered rainforest in order to combat global warming, protect ecosystems and to provide employment for local people. The organisation receives its income through business partnerships, ...

Progress

In April 2018, ITV broadcast ''The Queen's Green Planet'', highlighting many of the initiatives around the world, interspersed with footage of The Queen and Sir

David Attenborough Sir David Frederick Attenborough (; born 8 May 1926) is an English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and author. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, the nine natural histor ...

discussing trees in Buckingham Palace's gardens. By this time, more than 40 countries had committed to taking part in the initiative. By mid-2019, the number had reached 46 countries.

Projects

References

External links