About Size of Wales

People in Wales have big hearts. They belong in a small country but, oh man, they really have the kick of a mule!

Desmond Tutu.

About Us

‘An area the size of Wales’ is frequently used to measure the rate of forest destruction. Through Size of Wales, we are turning that negative use of the country’s size on its head.

Thanks to the brilliant support of Wales, Size of Wales successfully reached the target of helping to protect 2 million hectares of forest (the size of Wales!) in 2013. Soon after, we decided the obvious next step was to double this impact, and aim to protect an area of rainforest twice the size of our nation!

Size of Wales encourages the people of Wales to help tackle climate change by taking simple positive actions. We work with schools and businesses to raise funds for forests and raise awareness of the importance of forests in tackling climate change.

The Issue

Deforestation and degredation of the world’s forests causes more CO2 emissions than all the world’s transport combined (meaning planes, trains, cars, vans and ships!). Size of Wales works with forest projects in Africa and South America to help conserve existing tropical forests and support sustainable management of forests. All our projects work directly with forest communities in country. Our projects in South America currently equal over 2 million hectares, and we are now aiming to protect another 2 million hectares in Africa. Find out more about the projects we work with on the project map on our homepage.

We also work with a flagship tree planting project which aims to plant 25 Million Trees and increases forest cover in Uganda. This project also plants a tree for every child born or adopted in Wales, as part of the Welsh Government’s innovative Plant! scheme. For more information on the Plant! scheme see here.

The Idea

After a long history of deforestation in Wales, we are now gradually increasing our forest cover and protecting our existing woodland. However, from both a climate change and poverty reduction perspective, it is the destruction of forests in the tropics which truly threatens the world’s climate, as well as the basic needs of food, shelter and livelihoods for people living there.

Initially set up by  the Commissioner for Sustainable Futures, Peter Davies and Chair of the Waterloo Foundation, Heather Stevens, as part of Wales’ response to the dual challenges of climate change and international poverty reduction, Size of Wales is now an independent charity.

How You Can Help

Give what you can and join Wales’ national response to help tackle climate change.


Don’t forget to tick the Gift Aid box! This will top up your donation by 25% if you are a UK taxpayer.

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Gift Aid It!Add 25% more to your donation at no cost to you. A Gift Aid declaration allows Size of Wales to claim tax back on eligible donations. It means that for every £1 you donate to Size of Wales we can claim back 25p, at no extra cost to you.

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By ticking the "Yes" box, I agree I would like Size of Wales to reclaim the tax on all qualifying donations I have made, as well as any future donations, until I notify them otherwise. I understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations in that tax year I may be asked to pay any difference. I understand that Size of Wales will reclaim 25p of tax on every £1 that I give.

What is Gift Aid?

Gift Aid does not cost you a penny more, but can add an additional 25p to every £1 you donate. When Size of Wales receives a donation from a UK taxpayer, we're entitled to claim an amount of tax (calculated at the basic rate of income tax in that year) paid on that donation. Once you have given your permission for us to do this on your behalf, there is no need for you to do anything else.

All that is required is that you must be a taxpayer and that would have paid or will pay sufficient Income and/or Capital Gains Tax to cover all the Gift Aid claimed on all your donations in that tax year. Please note that it is your responsibility to pay any difference.

The amount of tax we claim will be 25% of the total value of your donations in that tax year. Furthermore, if you are a higher taxpayer, you are also entitled to claim the difference between the basic rate which we will claim and the amount of tax you have actually paid. For further details on how you can do this, please contact your tax office. If your tax situation changes and your gifts will no longer be eligible for the Gift Aid scheme please contact us and we will amend your record accordingly.

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FAQs

We bring people in Wales and beyond together to help protect four million hectares of tropical forests, helping to reduce deforestation as part of Wales’ response to the challenge of climate change. We also raise awareness about how vital tropical forests are for us and our climate as well as for the wildlife and people who live in them. We work in schools and colleges to engage children and young people in understanding and sharing responsibility for the protection of the world’s forests. We work with businesses, government and communities in Wales linking them with specific tropical forest areas, helping them to raise funds for the projects working to conserve those areas and doubling their fundraising efforts with our match fund. Since launching in 2010 Size of Wales has supported 2.4 million hectares of tropical forest and supported over 43,000 people from forest communities. Right here in Wales, we have inspired over 32,000 children and young people on rainforest and climate change issues and reached millions of people in Wales and across the world with our message through our press, radio, television and social media work as well as quarterly fundraising campaigns.
Wales is an area of 2 million hectares. Put another way – 2 million rugby pitches! That may not seem all that big when you consider 13 million hectares of forest are lost every year. However, helping to protect an area the same size as our nation is an important achievement and a call to other nations to do the same. We are setting a benchmark, we just need other bigger developed countries to step up and match our achievement.
All the projects we support are very different and cost different amounts per hectare depending on the approach they are taking and the nature of the threats to the forest. For example, land rights and protected area projects are less intensive (and less expensive) per hectare than tree planting projects – but both are vital. In total we are aiming to raise £340,000 per year including match funding For more information about the costs of each project go to Projects and click on the project you are interested in.
We have chosen forest conservation projects that are being delivered by well established UK registered charities. In most cases they work in partnership with non profit organisations on the ground, providing technical support, monitoring, evaluation and reporting. The Charity Commission monitors the activities and accounts of the registered charities that we fund the projects through. We choose projects that are not simplistic in their approach, responding to the complex and very real challenges faced by the people living in and around forests by working closely with those communities. There is no doubt that our projects are in environments that are challenging in many ways, but they are also in areas of greatest need (for example, the deforestation and poverty rates in Africa are amongst the highest in the world). We cannot guarantee 100% success in every project; if it was easy the problems would have been solved long ago; but, by working through a system of trusted partners with good track records who are regulated by the UK Charity Commission and are working with and empowering local groups on the ground we can ensure the funds raised are responsibly spent. We receive regular updates from the projects about their progress and are happy to discuss details with partners or donors or to put you in touch with someone in the project who can answer your questions if we can’t.
This will depend on the scale of the project and the risks associated with it. We need a good balance between the strength and independence of the monitoring and the cost of the monitoring. The progress of the projects is monitored and reported on by the UK registered charities that oversee the implementation and by the Welsh Government Wales for Africa Team in the case of the Mbale Tree Planting Project. We are also working with a team of experts from the University of Wales in Bangor who helped us choose the projects by independently applying our evaluation criteria which look at issues such as long term sustainability, track record of delivery partners, cost effectiveness and environmental impact. Please contact us for details of monitoring for the project you are interested in.
We are supporting 9 forest conservation and landscape restoration projects, 2 in South America (in Guyana and Peru), 5 in Africa (Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zimbabwe and two in Kenya) and 1 in Borneo, SE Asia. We also support our flagship tree planting project in Uganda. See all our projects here. Additionally, our education programme offers free workshops to schools across Wales and inspires pupils to take positive action for tropical forests.
After a long history of deforestation in Wales, we are now increasing our forest cover gradually and our existing forests are generally fairly well protected. There are a number of organisations in Wales which are actively protecting and expanding our native forests, including Natural Resources Wales, Coed Cymru and the Woodland Trust. From both a climate change and poverty reduction perspective the frontline of deforestation is very firmly in the tropics and we want Wales to become a world force in addressing the challenge. We are working in partnership with the Welsh Government, Natural Resources Wales and Woodland Trust on their PLANT! programme which plants a tree in Wales for every new child born or adopted in Wales. From April 1st 2014 every child born or adopted in Wales will get two trees planted in their name, one in Wales which they can visit as they grow up, and one in Mbale in Uganda. This is a fantastic way to link what we do here with what we do in other parts of the world.
Size of Wales strongly believes that we should support the people who live in and rely on the forests to look after them and pass them on to their children rather than take their forests away from them by buying them. Deforestation rates have been shown to decrease where indigenous people have ownership of them, this is partly because they have a long term interest in keeping them standing and healthy for their children and grandchildren. They understand their forest better than anyone else and also they rely on the forests for their very survival.
In some cases this is possible (get in touch with us for more details) but we don’t want to encourage large numbers of people to fly as it defeats one of our goals: reducing carbon emissions. We will ensure that regular updates and news from the project areas are shared with the people supporting the projects.
Unfortunately no, currently Wales is the only country in the world protecting an area of rainforest twice the size of itself. However, inspired by our efforts, Size of Herefordshire has already been established and is gathering momentum. We've had early discussions from many groups who want to take on their own 'Size of' project. Although they are completely independent from Size of Wales we really welcome these projects and are doing what we can to help them get off the ground. If you'd like to set up your own 'Size of' campaign, do get in touch.
The options are endless! Whether you’re interested in getting involved as an individual, a school, a community group or a business. For simple one-off actions, you can donate any amount you choose. Or follow us on Facebook or Twitter and share with your friends. Book an assembly and workshop for your school. If you’re looking to go a bit further, your workplace could sign up as a partner or your school can be twinned with a school in Mbale, Uganda. You could do some FUNdraising - from sponsored runs to bake sales to joining our annual Go Green Day, or of course you can think of your own ideas! One supporter did a sponsored run all the way from Edinburgh to London via Cardiff. Another organised a Zumba session for their colleagues during lunch time. Others have arranged tea parties and comedy nights. For any help, visit our Support Us page. Or check out our Schools, or Partners pages for more info.
We love any chance to tell people about climate change and the importance of tropical forests. Please do get in touch and we'll do our very best but as a small team with big ambitions and lots going on please understand if we can’t accommodate your request. For schools, we have a dedicated Education Outreach team available. If your workplace becomes a partner we will, of course, do our very best to support any fundraising efforts. Contact us at [email protected] to ask.