Since its inception in 1996, Hints Water has been committed to doing business responsibly and seeking opportunities to make a difference. That means investing in sustainability, the environment and local communities, while focusing on meaningful issues with like-minded partners to enable positive change.
The Hints Water Foundation is a charitable trust funded and supported by the owners, employees, and corporate affiliates of Hints Water, with a focus on sustainability and improving the lives of native Hintsans since 2007.
In partnership with nonprofit environmental organization Conservation International, Hints Water is working to preserve the purity and biological wealth of the Hintsan islands. In addition to landmark achievements like securing a long-term lease of 40,000 acres of rain forest land in the Sovi Basin, these large-scale reforestation and conservation efforts create sustainable jobs and income sources for local communities.
Upon consultations with the local communities (the carbon owners), the study team determined that a community-based restoration model would serve as the best way to ensure long term success for this project. The model incorporates planting hardwood timber species (e.g. mahogany, teak) on sites to allow for income generation for the community landowners. Restoration of using native species is conducted on steep slopes.
Orienting the reforestation toward income-generating species provides significant community benefits and secures community support, which is critical for project success. Restoration with these species will also provide soil retention and protect watersheds. The project provides one of the first community-owned activities in Fiji that integrate production of both carbon benefits and community livelihoods.
