Andrew Skeene and Omari Bowers researched the concept of forestry investments during the time of the property market slump, and bought 1000 hectares of land in the Mato Grosso state – the third largest area in Brazil.

“What fascinated us at the time,” said Bowers, “was how farmland as an asset class had been historically overlooked by investors and yet over the past 20 years forestry investments had grown at a rate of 20 per cent per annum. It was as if we had stumbled upon a whole new property market – but instead of developing houses it was all about growing trees”.

Global Forestry Investments invests in woodland to grow trees, such as timber. In particular, Bowers and Skeene were keen on Brazil as it offered an ideal environment for the growth of teak wood, which was in high demand but had a slump in supply.

The Brazilian rainforest is a subject of high tension among environmentalists – and some would say it’s the main battleground in the fight against climate change. Sustainable forestry has a direct contribution to preventing negative climate change; as trees undergo their natural process of photosynthesis, they use CO2 found naturally in the atmosphere, hence reducing the amount in the ozone that prevents heat from escaping.

It is widely believed if deforestation was to wipe out the entire Brazilian Rainforest it would spark changes all over the planet. The results would dramatically change global weather patterns, massive starvation and the loss of millions of species of plants and animals that roughly represent half the species on Earth.

The city slick property entrepreneurs not only give back to the environment with their program, but supply much needed employment and training desperate for area residents.

“When we started out on this adventure we had no idea that we would be having such a positive impact on the environment. But now that we are, we just can’t get enough of it”, says Skeene