Our Journey
Adventures in conservation and climate action
Prehistory
Our founder Sean Weaver started his career as a forest ecologist and then moved into forest conservation financing. This began in Fiji working with tribal landowners to protect the magnificent rainforests of Wabu Creek (pronounced 'Waambu') in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
His proposal convinced the Fiji government to buy the logging rights from the landowners so the they could 'log their forests financially but not physically'. This enabled the landowners to climb out of poverty without destroying their precious rainforest - now called the Wabu Forest Nature Reserve.
Looking after nature by looking after people forms the bedrock of the Ekos approach.
Ekos Version 1
Ekos was founded in 2007 (under the original name 'Carbon Partnership'). We initially focused on forest conservation through carbon markets in Aotearoa NZ and the Pacific Islands. This included forest carbon project development, and helping Pacific Island countries build their national forest carbon programmes (Vanuatu and Fiji).
We represented Vanuatu at the World Bank, European Commission, and the UNFCCC on REDD+ financing. Sean co-authored 'The Leader's Guide to International Emissions Trading and Carbon Markets' for the ‘Breaking the Climate Deadlock’ initiative led by Tony Blair (former UK PM).
During this time (2008-2013) we developed the Rarakau Rainforest Carbon Project on Maori land in western Southland. This project required the landowners to stop logging indigenous forest in exchange for protecting the forest and selling carbon credits instead of wood.
Ekos Version 2
By 2016 the Paris Agreement had been signed, and the slump in carbon markets was starting to recover. It was during this time that we developed our Carbon Management programme for organisations, products and events to support the transition to a low-carbon economy. During this time we provided consulting services to the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council on the climate elements of their Long Term Plan. This included a study we undertook to use carbon financing to reforest 200,000 hectares of erosion-prone lands in this region.
We provided carbon footprint measurement and reduction services for organisations around the country. When our clients wanted to offset their residual carbon footprint we were able to supply them with carbon credits from the projects we had developed or co-developed.
