Tim Jarvis from The Forktree Project finalist for EY entrepreneur award
Meet the unconventional entrepreneur who’s in the running for an EY national award after turning a barren farm into a blueprint for biodiversity restoration.
Environmental scientist, activist and adventurer Tim Jarvis doesn’t fit the traditional stereotype of an entrepreneur.
But while he may not be looking to develop the next unicorn start-up, his ambition is the same as every other founder – to take an idea and to make it scalable.
In 2019, Mr Jarvis launched The Forktree Project, with a vision to ‘rewild’ a 54ha slice of former farmland just outside Carrickalinga on the Fleurieu Peninsula.
Forktree has since rewilded tens of thousands of native trees and shrubs, bringing back native animals, insects and birds, with an additional aim of storing tens of thousands of tonnes of carbon.
On Wednesday Mr Jarvis will be in the running to add another prestigious award to the long list of accolades he’s received for the project, when EY announces its Entrepreneur of the Year national awards.
Mr Jarvis, who was named 2024 SA Australian of the Year, is a finalist in the social impact category, alongside Camp Quality’s Deborah Thomas, Ashley van de Velde from Brisbane aeromedical organisation LifeFlight, and Jason Trethowan from Headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation.
Mr Jarvis said that by spreading its environmental message through corporate volunteering events, school student visits and by working with local landowners and Indigenous communities, Forktree was looking to spearhead a ‘rewilding’ movement.
“The idea of the (Forktree) project is really to show that saving nature can be done in a repeatable and scalable way. You’re not going to save the world with Forktree, but you might make a dent in the problem like biodiversity loss and climate change with thousands of Forktrees. The idea is to show others how they can emulate some of the things we’re doing,” he said.
“My plan is not to grow a property empire based around Forktree, but to have thousands of other properties engaged in doing some of what we’re doing, and in so doing, making a dent in the problem.
“The difference between entrepreneur and social entrepreneur is an entrepreneur tries to grow a business and make it scalable personally, whereas a social entrepreneur is where you try to get others to engage to be part of the solution.”
In the coming days, Forktree will open a new education and eco-tourism centre at its Fleurieu site, while an on-site nursery has rapidly grown to a point where Mr Jarvis is exploring options for a second satellite nursery further down the peninsula.
The nursery supplies to both the Forktree Project and other rewilding projects.
Corporate sponsorship and government grants go some way to funding the project, which employs five staff but relies heavily on the work of volunteers.
“The volunteer aspect to it massively outweighs the paid stuff, and if you were a pure entrepreneur, you’d say is that sustainable as a model?” Mr Jarvis said.
“But if I look at it from a social entrepreneurial point of view, I see the word being spread, and more and more people getting involved, and the contribution they make is real and very powerful.
“I’m pretty optimistic about the future and we need it frankly. South Australia really needs to back up the incredible job we’ve done with renewable energy with habitat restoration, because we can’t solve climate change without sequestering CO2. It’s not just about not producing more, it’s about taking down the excess stuff out of the atmosphere.”
Another income stream for Forktree comes from the sale of carbon offsets to both local and overseas organisations, with all revenue going back into the project.
With its first site proving to be economically viable, Mr Jarvis is now exploring options to take on a second plot of land, likely to be in another region of South Australia where the Forktree message can be spread further.
EY head of clients and industries Selina Short said Mr Jarvis was a “prime example of Australian entrepreneurial spirit”.
“He saw a problem and has committed his energy and resources to address it. We’re proud to support entrepreneurs like Tim who contribute so broadly to our economy, environment and communities,” she said.
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