Deloitte Frog Makes Leap for Yorkshire-based Rainforest Charity
A new species of frog has been named after Deloitte, in recognition of the firm’s work in helping to preserve a rainforest in Tanzania as part of its involvement with Yorkshire-based charity, the United Bank of Carbon (UBoC), which it co-founded with Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate and the University of Leeds.
The new species of frog which now sports the latinised moniker of one of the world’s leading business advisory firms, was discovered in the Rubeho Forest in 2005 and has been named by the African Rainforest Conservancy (ARC), an agency set up to conserve and restore Africa’s rainforests.
Deloitte is one of the founding members of UBoC which brokers partnerships between individual businesses and specific rainforest conservation projects run by established NGOs. Through this partnership, Deloitte identified a rainforest conservation project with ARC to provide an opportunity for its people to support an environmental cause through fundraising and volunteering.
The firm raised over £200,000 to support the project in the past year to fund the on-going conservation of the entire mountain and forest range in the Rubeho region, an ecologically distinct area known as the ‘Galapagos of Africa’, and helping to ensure the local community can earn a sustainable living from the forest.
Leeds-based Heather Hancock, managing partner for Innovation and Brand at Deloitte, said: “This project was a pioneering move by Deloitte. We wanted to demonstrate our commitment to the rainforest, to biodiversity and to the development needs of local people. And we wanted to learn more about how we could make a difference in remote and important parts of the world.
“At Deloitte, we believe it is our responsibility to show leadership in tackling the environmental challenges that face us all. It is a rare honour that ARC have chosen to name a newly discovered species from the Ruhebo region after our firm, and one we will cherish.”
Jonathan Wild, chairman of Bettys and Taylors, which has long been an exponent of trading fairly and ethical sourcing, explains the UBoC vision, “The aim is to bring together companies in Yorkshire and beyond to tackle the biggest cause of climate change, deforestation. UBoC represents a bank of rainforest protection projects from all over the world which have been verified by experts at the University of Leeds’ School of Earth and the Environment, enabling businesses to partner with a specific environmental project which has synergies with their own organisation.
“Deloitte has supported the initiative from inception and the firm’s work in Tanzania is a great example of the crucial role UK businesses can play in empowering local people and helping them to preserve their natural heritage. It’s fantastic that the firm’s contribution will be remembered through the naming of this new species.”
