In Honor Of International Rewilding Day, YSL Beauty Announces New Rewilding Program, Expanding Its 50,000-Hectare Global Impact on Track for 2030 Target
PARIS, March 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In continuity of its global initiative REWILD OUR EARTH, YSL Beauty announces an eighth rewilding program in partnership with global NGO Re:wild. The latest program will invest in biodiversity in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines through a project focusing on the protection of endangered species.
Rewild Our Earth: A Long-Term Initiative to Help Nature Return to Its Wild State
Due to climate change and extensive human overconsumption of nature, the wild is in decline. Almost 75% of all wild places have been degraded and more than 1 million species are at risk of extinction. More than 50% of the remaining wilderness will disappear in the next several decades if immediate action is not taken.
YSL Beauty's Rewild Our Earth program aims to protect and restore 100,000 hectares of wilderness by 2030 – an area almost 10 times the size of Paris, France – to safeguard biodiversity in threatened priority areas.
A commitment to the Earth lies at the heart of YSL Beauty, inspired by the legacy of M. Saint Laurent, a nature lover who drew inspiration from the natural wonders of Morocco.
Inspired by the brand's decade-long partnership with local communities at the Ourika Community Gardens in Morocco, the Rewild Our Earth initiative began in 2017 in the Atlas Mountains and the Ourika Valley in Morocco. Since then it has helped restore and protect areas through six additional programs in Haiti, Madagascar, Indonesia, Canada, Bahamas and Colombia, and will be launching one new program in Saint-Vincent this year.
In line with the brand's engagements, this project is inscribed within the brand's sustainability strategy, known as 'Change the Rules, Change the Future', which is built on 3 key pillars: (1) Reduce Our Impact; (2) Rewild Our Earth; and (3) Abuse Is Not Love.
For the Rewild Our Earth program, YSL Beauty is partnering with Re:wild, a world-renowned non-governmental organization working with more than 500 partners to protect and restore biodiversity around the world. Re:wild focuses on at-risk species and habitats, both terrestrial and marine, aiming to address the interconnected crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.
Penny Langhammer, Executive Vice President of Re:wild, says "The health of our planet and our well-being depend on the wild; we are all connected to the natural world. Through this long-term collaboration with YSL Beauty, we will advance our efforts to protect and restore the Earth's most irreplaceable areas for biodiversity, which will make our planet more resilient and benefit local communities"
Rewild Our Earth is based on scientific research that shows rewilding is an innovative approach to conservation based on a progressive effort to enable natural processes, repair damaged ecosystems, and restore degraded landscapes. In other words, to help nature return to its wild state.
To date, YSL Beauty's Rewild Our Earth program has restored over 50,950 hectares of endangered ecosystems and planted more than 710,000 trees globally since 2017. Aiming to rewild large areas by 2030, the brand reached more than 50% of its 100,000-hectare goal by the end of 2024.
YSL Beauty invests in biodiversity, supporting communities and conservation by adding an 8th local program in 2025
NEW Caribbean Sea, Saint Vincent Island: This project focuses on the critically endangered Saint Vincent blacksnake (Chironius vincenti), a species teetering on the brink of extinction with fewer than 20 individuals seen in the past 15 years. The program is dedicated to bolstering the global population of these harmless reptiles. The first step will be to collate information, and work with local stakeholders and snake experts in 2025 to develop the first species recovery plan.
The Bahamas - A Bold Rescue Mission for the White Cay Iguana: Found only on two tiny islands in the Bahamas, the White Cay Iguana faces threats from poaching, invasive species, and climate change. Rewild Our Earth is implementing a comprehensive recovery plan: equipping and training local guardians, installing surveillance technology, promoting responsible tourism practices, and conducting vital research to inform future conservation efforts. In 2024, the number of White Cay Iguanas doubled on the island that was well protected.
Canada - Helping to Prevent the Degradation of the Grasslands Ecosystem, 95% of Which is at Risk: The recent protection of a key private land parcel completes a crucial piece of the conservation puzzle in the White Lake Basin. This land, now integrated into the 20,317 hectares White Lake Basin Biodiversity Ranch, provides essential habitat for endangered birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles.
Colombia - Shielding Biodiversity in the Amazonian Heart: Deep within the Colombian Amazon, in buffer areas just outside Chiribiquete and La Paya National Parks, are vast protected areas, encompassing millions of hectares of pristine rainforest. This area hosts countless rare and endemic species and Indigenous and local communities who call this place their home. Rewild Our Earth is working to maintain 3,134 hectares of recently restored areas and added more than 600 additional hectares this past year. By connecting corridors between family-owned farmland and areas of special ecological and cultural significance, this work has improved the lives of 41 families, added 600 native trees, and planted more than 1,500 trees in responsible agroforestry systems.
Haiti - Helping to Retain the Remaining 1% of the Rainforest: In the face of immense challenges, this program works to restore native forests and create sustainable livelihoods for local communities. More than 230,000 trees, representing 18 native species, have been planted across 496 hectares. Efforts also focus on removing invasive plant species and help plant and protect critically endangered Ekman's Magnolias, a beautiful tree that is important for pollinators.
Indonesia (Sulawesi) - Help Preserve Lands and Over 350 Species in a Biodiversity Hotspot: To date, our local partner YBS has worked to save the threatened freshwater species of Lake Matano through close engagement with local fishers to remove invasive fish that eat the native wildlife. This collaborative approach not only restores the lake's ecological balance but also empowers local communities with sustainable fishing practices. On the Tompotika Peninsula three corridors connecting vital maleo bird nesting grounds to the larger forest landscape are being restored by our local partner ALTO with two corridors being legally protected through land purchase or lease agreements, ensuring the long-term protection of this Critically Endangered species. Community-based protection of the wider 30,000-hectare landscape supports the conservation of bats, anoas, and babirusa among the wider biodiversity of the area.
Madagascar – Help Rehabilitate Biodiversity, Planting Over 400,000 Trees: In Anjozorobe Angavo, a critical forest corridor within a fragmented key biodiversity area, local communities are leading efforts to tackle habitat degradation and revitalize their forest home through reforestation. Over 500 hectares have been restored, with almost 500,000 trees of 50 native species planted. The project has actively involved over 3,300 community members, nearly 60% of which are women.
Morocco - Help Reverse the Effects of Desertification across 1,000 Hectares of Land and Empower Local Communities: YSL Beauty has protected and restored 380 hectares in the Atlas Mountains and Ourika Valley since 2017. This program benefits over 20 villages. Over 170,000 trees (including carob, olive, and fruit trees) have been planted with local communities. The initiative combats the effects of rising temperatures and natural disasters. The land is now under protection and restoration management.
YSL Beauty's Rewild Our Earth Program is active on 8 global sites, on track for 100,000 Hectares by 2030
Join the rewilding revolution and find more information here.
ABOUT YSL BEAUTY
In the tension between timeless legacy and modern audacity, YSL Beauty creates daring beauty that dresses change. Boldness and singularity. Manifested through clashes of color, light, style, the liberation from convention. The defiance of the norm. Authenticity, the foundation driving the brand to create icons in makeup, fragrance and skincare, born from the heritage of M. Saint Laurent who shaped the cultural zeitgeist for generations. YSL Beauty creates unapologetic beauty that frees and moves the lines, in the here and now. Young, edgy, luxury.
www.yslbeauty.com
ABOUT CHANGE THE RULES, CHANGE THE FUTURE
"Change the rules, change the future"—a bold vision to spearhead social and environmental transformation, while creating the beauty of tomorrow. The YSL Beauty sustainability program aims to transform and reduce the impact of its value chain and empower consumers to make more sustainable choices. The brand's unwavering commitment has been manifested through the positive contributions of 2 key programs: Abuse is Not Love and the Ourika Community Gardens, emblematic of the YSL Beauty vision to create daring beauty that dresses change.
ABOUT RE:WILD
Re:wild protects and restores the wild. We have a singular and powerful focus: the wild as the most effective solution to the interconnected climate, biodiversity, and human health crises. Founded by a group of renowned conservation scientists together with Leonardo DiCaprio, Re:wild is a force multiplier that brings together Indigenous peoples, local communities, influential leaders, nongovernmental organizations, governments, companies, and the public to protect and rewild at the scale and speed we need. Learn more at rewild.org.
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