Don’t Go Down To The Woods Today

Another unplanned piece, but you know what it’s like, somebody gets in touch . . . This one throws light on some major environmental scams – ‘natural capital’ and ‘carbon sequestration’ or ‘offsets’.

This means buying a few trees, or a patch of land, then, if you’re a big company, claiming you’re saving the planet by just owning it (and holding your hand out); or, if you’re a spiv, flogging off shares to the brainwashed and the stupid.

It’s difficult to think of any form of self-harm more damaging than reducing carbon levels in the atmosphere; for carbon is the gas of life, without which the planet dies, and of which more is better.

WHERE WE AT?

This is about two parcels of woodland. One, Coed Rhyal (13.3 acres), near Porth Tywyn; the other, Gigrin Prysg (11.8 acres), is along the A470 just south of Rhaeadr Gwy.

Both circled in red in the maps below. (Click to enlarge.) There’s another asset in Nova Scotia, Canada. The three bought by a company called The Sacred Groves C.I.C. Here’s the Companies House entry. And the Linkedin page.

All three directors are Indian citizens living the United Arab Emirates. So obviously not local to either of these woodlands.

Before pushing on, let me stress that the company name has nothing to do with Druids. (I would know if me and the boys was involved.)

Though I must say that I don’t understand why this outfit was allowed to register with Companies House as a Community Interest Company, because I see neither community involvement nor community benefit.

Anyway, let’s delve.

WHO’S WHO IN THE SACRED GROVES C.I.C.

The first director named is Monisha Krishna. The second, Vikram Krishna. I assume they’re husband and wife. Though we can’t rule out them being siblings.

As we see from Monisha Krishna’s Linkedin profile, she is also a member of the Greentech Alliance.

The Founder and CEO of this lot is Lubomila Jordanova. Linkedin tells us she’s also the founder and CEO of PlanA. Where the website advises us to:

Before setting up PlanA in 2017 Lubomila “worked in investment banking, venture capital and fintech in Asia and Europe“. She is also an Advisory Member of the European Investment Bank.

Here’s a little more about Fräulein Jordanova, from the website of a “connectivity eventto be held in Barcelona. I’ve highlighted a few bits that caught my eye. Such as:

Aligning sustainability with profitability.

Here’s Vikram Krishna’s Linkedin page, where we learn that immediately before starting up Sacred Groves he worked for the National Bank of Dubai.

Another banker! But then, banking and saving the planet are natural bed-fellows.

The third director is Achipra Sreedharan Sudhir. He works for FlyDubai, “owned by the Government of Dubai“.

Since Sacred Groves was launched, in February 2020, there have been no less than seven share issues. Here’s how the 1.25 million shares are currently distributed.

Does seven share issues in five years suggest business is brisk?

The latest accounts filed with Companies House are good for a laugh. Just look at this below. When did you last read such vacuous waffle?

Thankfully, and despite the company returning a loss of £321,458, the directors managed to pay themselves £250,000. Phew! I was so worried.

‘SEQUESTRATION’ – OF SUCKERS’ MONEY

In fairness – and despite the heading – there are I believe two possibilities to explain what Sacred Groves is about. More on this in the next section.

Let’s return to the website, where we read:

We secure natural habitats through either direct acquisition or long-term contracts with landowners and governments, map them using geospatial imaging, and convert them using advanced analytics into virtual Sacred Groves Clusters (SGCs).

It also says, “a price of £40 for a 10-year term“, but seems to have left out, ‘per month’. And ‘minimum of’. (See below.)

So what is a “cluster“? Well, as we read on the website:

Each acre of land secured will be virtually divided into an average of 275 clusters

Which means that Coed Rhyal will produce roughly 3,658 ‘clusters’, and Gigrin Prysg some 3,245.

So how much would it cost you to invest in these ‘clusters’, or to give one as a birthday gift? And don’t forget – Christmas is coming! Well, here are the prices quoted on the website:

You could have 5 ‘clusters’ for £200 per month. Per bloody month! Assuming all ‘clusters’ are sold, Coed Rhyal will pull in for Sacred Groves £14,632 per month. Gigrin Prysg a measly £12,980.

Over a ten-year period Coed Rhyal would earn Sacred Groves £1,755,800 and Gigrin Prysg £1,557,600. A total of £3,313,400. And how much would be earned from the ‘sequestration’ and linked scams?

(Are my calculations correct? Cos maths was never my strong point.)

Though the pricing is rather strange. Normally, the cost per unit reduces if you buy more. (For example, Malbec in Aberystwyth Tesco.) I’d hate to think those running Sacred Groves are greedy!

To put it all in perspective, Sacred Groves paid £44,000 for Coed Rhyal. And £34,000 for Gigrin Prysg. (The latter bought from Forestry Resource Ltd.)

In addition to selling off ‘clusters’ Sacred Groves is asking for donations, and also flogging off tat jewellery.

VARIATION ON A THEME, OR A SYNTHESIS OF TWO

Trees are being used to profit from the climate scam in a number ways.

We’ve had companies like the Foresight Group buy up good farmland in order to plant trees for corporate greenwashing. With Foresight acting for its clients or investors.

We’ve also seen big companies buy farmland or woodland directly.

But, unless Sacred Groves director Achipra Sreedharan Sudhir is representing his airline employer, there appears to be no corporate involvement.

So are we looking at a variation on a different theme? Something like the timeshare scams that operated in Spain a few years back.

While here in Wales we had Gavin Lee Woodhouse, buying hotels from Llandudno to Tenby, and leasing out rooms individually. Young Gavin got too greedy, and started selling leases for rooms in nursing homes . . . that never got built.

Can’t lose, squire . . . every time somebody stays in your room you get paid. And at the end of it,  you’ve always got the lease. But if you’re not satisfied I’ll buy back the lease. What’s not to like“.

Nothing really, apart from the fact that Gavin was a crook, and the suckers never saw any money. Gavin launched the Afan Valley Adventure Resort. What a lad!

Or the Chisellers From Chislehurst, with a similar care home room-lease scam?

Maybe it’s like selling Irish-Americans a framed certificate to put up on their wall saying they’re part-owner of a square metre of bog in the fair County Galway.

With these scams, those behind them just keep on selling the timeshare, or the lease, or that bit of the ould sod. Over and over.

Maybe, as I suggest in the heading, Sacred Groves’ operations in Wales are a blend of two types of scam we’ve observed over the years.

Whatever the answer, scammers will always be with us, but what really pisses me off is the official support and funding they get.

CONCLUSION

If we go to the Sacred Groves Facebook page we see videos informing us that both Sacred Groves’ Welsh woodlands have been accepted into the National Forest for Wales network. They’re marked with crosses on the map below.

Hear National Forest Liaison Officer Dafydd Lloyd wax lyrical over “detritus” in the stream at Gigrin Prysg; while colleague Owain Grant enthuses over Coed Rhyal.

This acceptance by the National Forest is being used as accreditation by Sacred Groves. Proof that they’re to be trusted. But are they?

And then there’s the funding linking with the National Forest project. Such as the Woodland Investment Grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. And this isn’t the only funding available.

The reasoning behind Sacred Groves is explained at the start of this video starring Vikram Krishna. With the analogy of the ‘worthless’ spring. Worthless until the water is bottled and sold.

Similarly, the trees at Coed Rhyal and Gigrin Prysg are ‘worthless’ until Sacred Groves capitalises on them. But this has sod all to do with the environment. It’s naked greed, the monetisation of the natural environment.

This seems to be the Sacred Groves scam in a nutshell:

1/ Buy woodland you’ve probably never seen, through an agent like Carter Jonas, the company used by Sacred Groves.

2/ Sit back, do nothing, call it ‘conservation’.

3/ Sell or lease the land in parcels or ‘clusters’ to silly buggers with more money than sense.

4/ With the added benefit of being paid for ‘sequestration’ and associated scams.

5/ Having bumped up the value of the woodland through all this scamming, you can sell it off at a big profit on the original price paid.

The real beauty of it is that it’s legal. Legitimised by the acceptance of the climate scam. And then, encouraged and funded by governments.

On the bright side . . . I’m sure the self-styled ‘Welsh Government’ would interpret Sacred Groves’ exploitation of Wales as inward investment.

So don’t get too angry or despondent – think of all the jobs!

♦ end ♦

© Royston Jones 2025

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Dafis

Last week we were likely to roast to death according to various apostles of the green gospels, including the much respected “never fib” BBC. Now this turns up in D Mail which MSN swept up and repeated uncritically so now looks like we’re gonna freeze to death in a new Ice Age!!

All bloody madness as climate/environment are hijacked by attention seekers and manipulators.

Dafis

Tut, must have dropped it down one of those cracks that have appeared due to climate change !! Still, it’s in one piece despite landing on Ed’s ‘ead

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/iceland-doomed-if-atlantic-ocean-current-collapses-nation-declares-existential-threat/ar-AA1Qhzpy?ocid=nl_article_link

David Smith

Perhaps the Krishnas have another relative from the area called Harry?

David Smith

I assume you mean carbon dioxide is the gas of life, not monoxide which is quite the opposite of course. Hehe. Am I mistaken in believing your recent output rate in ‘retirement’ exceeds that back in your days as a full-timer? No rest for the wicked.

Brychan

Chuckle.
Only find you click for a coffee.
No tab to donate a Malbec or Penderyn.

Wynne
Wynne

Yes, it will be used to justify policy, programmes and projects under H M Treasury Green Book methodology.

Kris Moore

Well I, for one, am glad that Jac has not taken his “retirement” seriously.

Ioan Richard

It’s OK to say this Kris. I think Jac deserves a St David’s Day Award in 2026 from the Senedd, but it’s all in vain if we do not use Jac’s information. Every reader needs to ‘stick and paste’ certain selected parts of Jac’s Blog to send them to their local Councilors and five Senedd members and MP and demand of them – “What are you doing about this?”. if we do not pressurise our politicians it’s all in vain!

Gruff Williams

Me too

Ioan Richard

I guess the ground under their trees will be carpeted with Phallus Impudicus !

MSX150

“The first director named is Monisha Krishna. The second, Vikram Krishna. I assume they’re husband and wife. Though we can’t rule out them being siblings“…. Or Both ?

Dafis

Especially if they spent time in Alabama! Boom! Boom! Thanks for that flash of humour on a sopping wet Monday morning.

Opening up my machine at the start of the week to find Jac reporting on yet another scam floating like a turd on the pool of government sanctioned folly can be quite depressing. That said it’s good that someone goes to the trouble of gathering or digging out this info and making it available. It needs to be even more available.

Someone (or two) on here recently was on about writing to various rags like Llais y Sais to spread the word about climate/environmental scams. Not much point cos next to no bugger reads those rags. Go to the papers with wider circulation and you bump up against Brits who don’t like the idea of turbines in their back yard but are quite happy to treat Wales as their one stop resource for power, water and the occasional holiday park or nature reserve.

The upcoming Senedd election will be more confrontational than any previous clash. Sadly it takes place in the muddied waters of party lists but the recent arrival of Reform could give the smug Bay crew an early intro to the law of unintended consequences. Already the array of wet parties are spending more time talking how they should “organise” to defeat Reform when they should be articulating their visions and policies for a more prosperous future. But have they ever been articulate about anything? Do they realise that by voting tactically they may get the 1st 2 past the post on those lists but there will be 4 others up for grabs and they will all rank the same when they take their seats in that chamber for 96.

I’m just waiting with some anticipation for the parties to come knocking the door at the Dafis bunker as they will get a thorough rinsing on their past performance and lack of future plans.

Dafis

Nothing racist in spotting a post-colonial chancer rocking up with his ill-gotten loot to buy up land in our country. Wealthy Indians stink just as bad as any wealthy bankster from the City and should not be seen in a different light. Indeed playing that sad old card about the wrongs of several centuries ago is wearing thin especially as some of the more educated people with roots in those colonies are now driving demands for “compensations”. They should just return to their roots and make those places prosper instead of hanging around for another big handout extracted from feeble-minded guilt-ridden liberals. Try making yer nation of origin great again!

Dafis

Given the amount of loot he’s coined over last 30-40 years he should be able to buy his own island in the sun and fuck off there on a permanent basis. There again the natives there wouldn’t think he was at all funny so he stays here acting the daft Brummie and gets away with it.

David Smith

I’ve probably said as much on these pages before but the endpoint of what the thick twat advocates is the mire of concepts of racial purity, in divvying out who is entitled to what. They’re too stupid to realise any serious discussion on the matter will unavoidably echo the language of eugenicists and slave owners.