{"id":55605,"date":"2025-11-10T08:30:56","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T08:30:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jacothenorth.net\/blog\/?p=55605"},"modified":"2025-11-10T12:06:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T12:06:07","slug":"dont-go-down-to-the-woods-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jacothenorth.net\/blog\/dont-go-down-to-the-woods-today\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Go Down To The Woods Today"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>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’.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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WHERE WE AT?<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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

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All three directors are Indian citizens living the United Arab Emirates<\/a>. So obviously not local to either of these woodlands.<\/p>\n

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.)<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Anyway, let’s delve.<\/p>\n

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WHO’S WHO IN THE SACRED GROVES C.I.C.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

As we see from Monisha Krishna’s Linkedin profile<\/a>, she is also a member of the Greentech Alliance<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Founder and CEO<\/a> of this lot is Lubomila Jordanova. Linkedin<\/a> tells us she’s also the founder and CEO of PlanA<\/a>. Where the website advises us to:<\/p>\n

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

Here’s a little more about Fr\u00e4ulein Jordanova, from the website of a “connectivity event<\/em>” to be held in Barcelona<\/a>. I’ve highlighted a few bits<\/a> that caught my eye. Such as:<\/p>\n

Aligning sustainability with profitability.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Here’s Vikram Krishna’s Linkedin page<\/a>, where we learn that immediately before starting up Sacred Groves he worked for the National Bank of Dubai.<\/p>\n

Another banker! But then, banking and saving the planet are natural bed-fellows.<\/p>\n

The third director is Achipra Sreedharan Sudhir<\/a>. He works for FlyDubai, “owned by the Government of Dubai<\/em>“.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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Does seven share issues in five years suggest business is brisk?<\/p>\n

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

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Thankfully, and despite the company returning a loss of \u00a3321,458, the directors managed to pay themselves \u00a3250,000. Phew!<\/em> I was so worried.<\/p>\n

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‘SEQUESTRATION’ – OF SUCKERS’ MONEY<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Let’s return to the website, where we read:<\/p>\n

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).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It also says, “a price of \u00a340 for a 10-year term<\/em>“, but seems to have left out, ‘per month’. And ‘minimum of’. (See below.)<\/p>\n

So what is a “cluster<\/em>“? Well, as we read on the website:<\/p>\n

Each acre of land secured will be virtually divided into an average of 275 clusters<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Which means that Coed Rhyal will produce roughly 3,658 ‘clusters’, and Gigrin Prysg some 3,245.<\/p>\n

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!<\/em> Well, here are the prices quoted on the website:<\/p>\n

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You could have 5 ‘clusters’ for \u00a3200 per month. Per bloody month!<\/em> Assuming all ‘clusters’ are sold, Coed Rhyal will pull in for Sacred Groves \u00a314,632 per month. Gigrin Prysg a measly \u00a312,980.<\/p>\n

Over a ten-year period Coed Rhyal would earn Sacred Groves \u00a31,755,800 and Gigrin Prysg \u00a31,557,600. A total of \u00a33,313,400. And how much would be earned from the ‘sequestration’ and linked scams?<\/p>\n

(Are my calculations correct? Cos maths was never my strong point.)<\/p>\n

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!<\/p>\n

To put it all in perspective, Sacred Groves paid \u00a344,000 for Coed Rhyal<\/a>. And \u00a334,000 for Gigrin Prysg<\/a>. (The latter bought from Forestry Resource Ltd<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

In addition to selling off ‘clusters’ Sacred Groves is asking for donations, and also flogging off tat jewellery.<\/p>\n

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VARIATION ON A THEME, OR A SYNTHESIS OF TWO<\/p>\n

Trees are being used to profit from the climate scam in a number ways.<\/p>\n

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

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We’ve also seen big companies buy farmland or woodland directly.<\/p>\n

But, unless Sacred Groves director Achipra Sreedharan Sudhir is representing his airline employer, there appears to be no corporate involvement.<\/p>\n

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

While here in Wales we had Gavin Lee Woodhouse<\/a>, 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<\/a> . . . that never got built.<\/p>\n

“Can’t lose, squire . . . every time somebody stays in your room you get paid. And at the end of it,\u00a0 you’ve always got the lease. But if you’re not satisfied I’ll buy back the lease. What’s not to like<\/em>“.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>. What a lad!<\/em><\/p>\n

Or the Chisellers From Chislehurst<\/a>, with a similar care home room-lease scam?<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

With these scams, those behind them just keep on selling the timeshare, or the lease, or that bit of the ould sod<\/em>. Over and over.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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

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CONCLUSION<\/p>\n

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

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Hear National Forest Liaison Officer Dafydd Lloyd wax lyrical<\/a> over “detritus<\/em>” in the stream at Gigrin Prysg; while colleague Owain Grant enthuses over Coed Rhyal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This acceptance by the National Forest is being used as accreditation<\/em> by Sacred Groves. Proof that they’re to be trusted. But are they?<\/p>\n

And then there’s the funding linking with the National Forest project. Such as the Woodland Investment Grant<\/a> from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. And this isn’t the only funding available.<\/p>\n

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

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.<\/p>\n

This seems to be the Sacred Groves scam in a nutshell:<\/p>\n

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

2\/ Sit back, do nothing, call it ‘conservation’.<\/p>\n

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

4\/ With the added benefit of being paid for ‘sequestration’ and associated scams.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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

So don’t get too angry or despondent – think of all the jobs!<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Royston Jones 2025
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