“I have been especially touched by one such project, The Queen's Commonwealth Canopy, which has been proposed by Commonwealth countries wanting to harness their collective expertise and resources to protect the world's forests.”

Her Majesty The Queen
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, Malta 2015

What is it?

  • TheQueen’s Commonwealth Canopy (QCC) is an opportunity for the Commonwealth family to unite to save one of the world’s most important natural habitats - forests.
  • The QCC will create a pan-Commonwealth network of forest conservation projects, marking Her MajestyThe Queen’s service to theCommonwealth and conserving indigenous forests for future generations.
  • Launched at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta 2015 and conceived by the Right Honourable Frank Field MP, the QCC is being led by the RoyalCommonwealth Society in partnership with Cool Earth and the Commonwealth Forestry Association.

What will it do?

  • The QCC is committed to raising awareness, within the Commonwealth, of the value of indigenous forests and to saving them for future generations.
  • It will create a unique network of forest conservation projects that brings collective credibility and integrity to individual Commonwealth initiatives.
  • It will raise the profile of the Commonwealth, demonstrating the capacity of its 53member countries to act together as one to ensure forest conservation.
  • It will use the Commonwealth network to facilitate a programme of knowledge exchange activities, share best practice and to create new, collaborative initiatives that contribute to forest conservation across the globe.
  • It will create a physical and lasting legacy of The Queen’s leadership of the Commonwealth.

Who can participate?

  • Every Commonwealth country is invited to participate in the QCC by nominating and dedicating existing or future conservation projects that meet with the broad objectives of the initiative.
  • Those countries with limited forest cover will be able to participate through the planting of native trees, the conservation of other indigenous vegetation or by supporting QCC partnerships with fellow Commonwealth members.

What will it cost?

  • A major advantage of the QCC is its utilisation of existing forestry resources and projects throughout the Commonwealth. Participation is free and comes without regulatory obligations for accredited projects.

Criteria to join the QCC

  • Projects considered for inclusion in the QCC should:
  • have the endorsement of the relevant government and forestry/conservation authority;
  • contain clear objectives that include sustainable forest conservation; and
  • encourage, in some form or another, the participation of local people in management of the project.
  • An accreditation process is co-ordinated by the Royal Commonwealth Society, in consultation with Cool Earth and the Commonwealth Forestry Association, to ensure that proposed projects meet the above criteria for QCC accreditation.
  • As the QCC is a flagship programme in The Queen's name, it is important that proposed projects should not be politically controversial or likely to attract adverse publicity.

Accreditation process

  • Upon meeting the the eligibility criteria, proposed projects must be registered in writing with the QCC Project Office, Royal Commonwealth Society, using the attached accreditation form and check-list (see Attachment 1).
  • Providing that the proposal contains the required information about the proposed project, including evidence that it meets the QCC eligibility criteria, at the time of submission, the assessment period is 2-3 weeks.
  • Successful projects will be granted permission to bear the QCC logo on all public references to the project. Details of the project will also be reflected on QCC and QCC partner websites.

Profile raising activities

  • The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy wasreferenced by Her Majesty The Queen at the opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM)in Malta in November 2015.
  • A reception will be held at Buckingham Palace in November 2016 to showcaseQCC projects that have joined the QCC since the project’s launch.
  • A documentary, featuring The Queen and Sir David Attenborough, is bring produced by a major UK television network and will showcase a number of QCC sites.
  • The QCC will have a high-profile presence atthe Commonwealth Forestry Conference, to be held in Dehradun,India, in April 2017.
  • The QCC will have a high-profile presence at CHOGMUK 2018 to demonstrate Commonwealth leadership in forest conversation.

The Partners

The Royal Commonwealth Society is a network of individuals and organisations committed to improving the lives and prospects of Commonwealth citizensacross the world –

Cool Earth is an award-winning UK-based charity that works alongside indigenous villages to halt rainforest destruction–

The Commonwealth Forestry Association links foresters, scientists, students and policy-makers throughout the Commonwealth to seek ways of wise forest management –

For more information, please visit or search Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for @queenscanopy

July 2016

QCC Project Accreditation Form and Check-List

Project data
Name of nominated project
Contact details / Name
Address
Email
Website
Location / Country
Region
Grid reference
Location map / Is a location map attached? Y/N
QCC criteria
Evidence of the endorsement of the relevant government and forestry/conservation authority. / Is letter attached? Y/N
Describe the history, development and current management of the project, and provide evidence that the project includes objectives that include sustainable forest conservation (Up to 300 words)
Explain, if appropriate, how local people are involved in management of the project (Up to 300 words).
Promotional material
Please attach logo/branding examples of the proposed project for the purposes of promotional/fundraising activities by QCC partners. / Is the promotional material attached Y/N
High-resolution photographic examples (as applicable) of the proposed project for the purposes of promotional/fundraising activities by QCC partners. / Are the photographs attached Y/N