Conservation Education & Research Trust Report and financial statements Company number: 4373313 charity number: 1094467 For the year ended 30 September 2019 Trustees’ annual report About Earthwatch............................................................................................................................................................ 4 Our environmental commitment .........................................................................................................................6 Fundraising ...................................................................................................................................................................8 Strategic report Objectives and achievements ...............................................................................................................9 Welcome Creating thriving places to live and work .................................................................................10 Enabling sustainable agricultural land management ..................................................12 Improving the health of our coasts....................................................................................14 Improving our freshwater environment .....................................................................16 Innovation and capacity building .............................................................................18 Financial review ...............................................................................................................20 Administration and governance ........................................................................24 The distant Earth as a pale blue dot. Independent auditor’s report .............................................................................29 Photograph taken by the Cassini probe in orbit around Saturn in 2013. Consolidated statement of financial activities ...............................33 Balance sheets ..........................................................................................34 Consolidated statement of cash flow ....................................35 Notes to the financial statements .................................. 36 Thank you to our supporters ....................................... 50 2 3 Our place on Earth, a ‘pale blue dot’ floating in the vastness of Costa Rica announced their National Decarbonisation Plan, I am immensely proud of what we have achieved this year to space, is in peril. All that we have dreamed, created and loved bringing their carbon neutral date forward from 2085 to 2050. address the environmental challenges we face. From ongoing may be no more within the relative blink of an eye. There are China also appears to be on track to reach its climate change collaboration with long-term corporate partners HSBC and very few remains of dinosaurs, which lasted for 180 million goals by 2021. In May the UK parliament became the first Shell, to welcoming new partners Royal Bank of Canada, SC years, 36,000 times longer than recorded human history to date. national parliament in the world to declare a climate and Johnson and Unity Trust Bank. From launching Naturehood, a What will remain of us, a race which may supposedly be the ecological emergency, and in June the UK government new initiative to increase biodiversity in urban communities, most advanced species ever to have existed? legislated for the UK to bring all its greenhouse gas emissions to publishing the Plastic Rivers report, widely covered in to net zero by 2050. the UK media. From engaging over 3,500 citizen scientists This is the existential backdrop to the environmental crisis it is across the globe in monitoring fresh water pollution locally, to our misfortune and challenge to face. As an international environmental NGO with science at its equipping nearly 3,000 young people with the knowledge and heart, Earthwatch Europe is uniquely placed to drive the change We know how ineffective and helpless any one of us can skills to protect our natural world. This is just a snapshot of we need to live within our means and in balance with nature. feel when considering the climate emergency and loss of our achievements in 2019 and more of our work is highlighted biodiversity. Yet across the globe this year, there have been 2019 saw us implement our new five-year strategy, which throughout this report. promising signs of transformative change and inspiring action. focuses on four key areas: creating thriving places to live and 2020 offers an unrivalled opportunity for further bold, Greta Thunberg took her call to ‘unite behind the science’ from work; enabling sustainable agricultural land management; concerted action. I am confident that Steve Andrews, who a lone protest to the highest echelons of society. Extinction enhancing the health of our coasts; and reducing pollution in joined Earthwatch as CEO in July, will steer the organisation to Rebellion mobilised our fears and anger. India has pledged our water bodies. Alongside these areas we continue to work deliver solutions and positive impact on the urgent to achieve most of its climate change goals before the set on innovation and capacity building, developing knowledge and Lucian J Hudson environmental challenges that together we will overcome. date of 2030. skills to better equip others facing the climate crisis. Chair, Earthwatch Europe Earthwatch Europe is the trading name of Conservation Education and Research Trust About An Earthwatch environmental Working together to live within our means charity with science at and in balance with nature its heart Our planet - and all life on it - is facing unprecedented Our current priorities Our values challenges. Climate change and loss of biodiversity threaten our very existence and the beauty of the world as we know it. Climate resilience and biodiversity in urban settings. Science has identified the causes of these challenges, and Because, with two thirds of the world’s population projected science is essential if we’re to face and solve them. to live in cities by 2050, humanity needs to urgently adapt to Inclusive Objective Passionate Empowering Responsible the climate crisis and biodiversity loss, and nature actually Earthwatch is an environmental charity with science at its has many of the answers we need. We believe it is Independent research We are passionate We seek to inspire We act in a manner heart. We connect people with the natural world, monitor the essential that people is at the core of about the opportunity people, organisations that respects and health of our natural resources, and inform the actions that Freshwater pollution. Because a world of nine billion people from all walks of life our work, and its we have to make a and communities protects the will have the greatest positive impact. needs to conserve and protect every drop of fresh water that participate in solving outcomes determine meaningful impact with the experiences, wellbeing of people we have. We work together with scientists, businesses, civil society and the environmental our goals and on people and the knowledge and tools and the environment, policy-makers to drive the change needed to live within our Agricultural land management. Because farming is on the challenges we face. priorities. natural world. that enable them to including our staff, means and in balance with nature. frontline of almost all the challenges we face: feeding the take action. researchers, 4 world, conserving fresh water, protecting biodiversity and volunteers and the 5 conserving soil health. places we work. The next generation. Because one day it will be up to them to protect the natural world, and they need the knowledge and skills to do it. Our environmental commitment As an organisation, it is important to us to practice what we preach and work within our means and in balance with nature. 6 In practice this means working across a range of challenges identified in our Environmental Charter. Our CEO leads a 7 cross-departmental group, our Green Group, to address these challenges. The Earthwatch Environmental Charter We are committed to… Carbon Water Paper use Project and programme design and implementation Consistently monitoring our carbon footprint*, aiming to Minimising the water use and impact on water quality within Consistently tracking our paper use and reducing this per FTE, Considering environmental impact throughout design, reduce this per full-time employee (FTE). We will offset our Oxford office wherever possible, through raising focusing on in-office stationery and printing. implementation and wrap-up of our projects and programmes, emissions we are able to measure from employee travel awareness of water-saving behaviour and exploring actively seeking to minimise the impact of these activities Waste (business and commuting) and energy use in our Oxford office opportunities for initiatives in our building. wherever possible and appropriate. as a last resort in addressing our carbon footprint. Embedding the principles of the waste hierarchy Purchasing *Our carbon footprint will be estimated based on business travel, employee (avoid, reduce, reuse and recycle) within our Oxford Energy commuting and energy use in our Oxford office. Putting environmental sustainability at the forefront when office, minimising the amount of non-recycled waste Consistently tracking energy use in our Oxford office and selecting everyday purchases including office stationery, we produce onsite. aiming to reduce this per FTE, by changing in-office behaviour