Protecting and Restoring Biodiversity in Lithuania
I am raising funds to buy forest land in Lithuania, protect it from clear-cutting, and restore damaged forests so biodiversity can return and ecosystems can grow resilient again. Lithuania’s forests are alive — but many are treated as short-term resources instead of living ecosystems. Clear-cutting, monoculture forestry, and premature harvesting destroy the complex relationships between trees, fungi, insects, birds, mammals, soil, and water. Once these connections are broken, forests become weaker, more vulnerable to disease, drought, and storms, and far less capable of supporting life. I started this initiative to offer a different path. The goal is simple and concrete: I raise funds to buy forest land, permanently protect it from clear-cutting, and restore damaged forests by allowing natural regeneration and ecological recovery.
This is not about planting fast-growing trees. This is about giving forests time. When forests are allowed to grow old:
- Biodiversity increases naturally
- Soil life recovers and stores more carbon
- Water cycles stabilize
- Forests become resilient instead of fragile
- Wildlife returns without human control
Every contribution helps secure land that will remain forest — not plantation — for generations to come. This is land for life, not profit.
How the money will be used
Purchase forest land in Lithuania
Legal protection against clear-cutting
Ecological assessment of damaged areas
Long-term restoration through natural regeneration
Transparent reporting of every step
Why I’m doing this
Because once a forest is gone, it cannot be rushed back.
Because biodiversity is not decoration — it is resilience.
Because future generations deserve living forests, not empty landscapes.
If you believe forests have the right to grow old, I invite you to become a guardian of this land.
Transparency & Accountability
I commit to full transparency. What I will share publicly:
- Proof of land purchase (documents or notarized confirmation)
- Maps and photos of acquired forest areas
- Clear explanation of protection status
- Periodic updates (photos + written reports)
- Explanation of setbacks if they occur
What I will NOT do
No commercial logging
No resale for profit
Legal structure: Forest purchased in my name with commitment of protection. If the project grows, I intend to transfer forest ownership to a protected foundation or land trust to guarantee long-term protection.
The project will have different phases:
Phase 1 – Land Acquisition
Identify ecologically valuable or threatened forest plots
Prioritize mixed, older, or damaged forests at risk of clear-cutting
Purchase land and secure legal ownership
Impact: Immediate prevention of logging
Phase 2 – Protection
Register forest under non-commercial management
Exclude clear-cutting and monoculture forestry
Minimal human intervention
Impact: Ecosystem stabilizes and starts recovering
Phase 3 – Restoration
Allow natural regeneration
Remove invasive species if needed
Leave dead wood for fungi and insects
Monitor biodiversity return
Impact: Self-sustaining, resilient forest
Phase 4 – Long-term Stewardship
Periodic ecological monitoring
Public reporting and education
Potential cooperation with schools, scientists or conservation groups
Impact: Permanent biodiversity gains
Personal statement
I am starting this initiative because I believe forests are not resources to be managed, but living systems that deserve time, space, and respect.
I am not an organization, and I am not backed by large institutions. I am an individual choosing to act where I can — by protecting real pieces of forest land from clear-cutting and allowing them to grow old again.
What I see in many forests today is not a lack of trees, but interruption. Forests are cut before they can mature, before relationships between trees, fungi, insects, animals, soil, and water can fully form. Biodiversity cannot be rushed or engineered — it emerges when life is given continuity.
Integrity matters deeply to me. I commit to acting transparently and responsibly, sharing what land is purchased, how it is protected, and how funds are used. I will not promise more than I can deliver, and I will place the wellbeing of the forest above visibility, speed, or growth.
This initiative is not about control or optimization. It is about stepping back and giving living systems the one thing they consistently ask for: time.
I do this because once a forest is cut, it cannot be rushed back. Protecting what still lives is an act of care — and responsibility — toward future generations.
If you choose to support this initiative, you are not donating to an idea.
You are helping protect living land.
Jacko Scholten 