Viña Concha y Toro has a strong focus on conservation, protecting large areas of native forest around its Chilean vineyards for a range of ecosystem services.
The company protects more than 3,270 hectares of native sclerophyll forest and scrub in its Chilean estates — around one third of the total area of wine plantations. Sclerophyll forests were once more extensive, but now only exist in small patches in the coastal ranges and Andean foothills.
After their registration with the National Forestry Corporation (CONAF), Viña Concha y Toro agreed to work on the conservation and protection of these forests in the regions of O’Higgins and Maule, developing a specific plan for each forest leading to increased biodiversity and higher water quality. The winery also planted native species to restore certain areas previously affected by livestock farming and biomass extraction.
As well as protecting a range of native, endemic, and endangered species, the conservation programme also helps to provide a number of ecosystem services for the vineyard estates including carbon sequestration. The company estimates that each tree in these forests can capture around one tonne of CO2 over its lifetime.
Viña Concha y Toro’s 1.5℃ commitment
Acknowledging the risk climate change poses to Viña Concha y Toro’s future in terms of availability and quality of grapes, this solution contributes to curbing the effects of climate change and to the winery’s commitment to set science-based targets aligned with a 1.5°C scenario. The company has also put an internal price on carbon.
