What We're Reading: COMBO - Reducing Infrastructure Impacts on Biodiversity

By Hugo Costa, Hugo Rainey & Ray Victurine | December 16, 2019

Over the past four years, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), together with its partners Forest Trends and Biotope, have been operating an innovative program called Conservation, Impact Mitigation and Biodiversity Offsets (COMBO) in Africa. The programs overarching aim is as simple as it is ambitious: to reconcile economic development with the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services.

To learn more about this project please view the full article here.

Upcoming ICRI Webinar, June 5th- Finance Tools for Coral Reef Conservation: An Overview

Presented by: David Meyers of the Conservation Finance Alliance and Venkat Iyer of UN Environment

This webinar will be offered at two different times:

·       Viewing 1: Wednesday, June 5, Noon US EDT/9 am US PDT/4 pm UTC

·       Viewing 2: Wednesday, June 5, 9 pm US EDT/6 pm US PDT (Thursday June 6, 9 am Australian WST/11 am Australian EST/1 am UTC)

Description: The Wildlife Conservation Society, in collaboration with the Conservation Finance Alliance and in support of the 50 Reefs initiative, recently released "Finance Tools for Coral Reef Conservation: A Guide" as a resource for protected area managers and others charged with managing and financing reef conservation. The report describes 13 types of finance tools which have either been proven successful at or have great potential to support reef conservation and sustainable management. Some of the finance tools to be covered in this overview webinar include various tourism-based fees, biodiversity offsets, bonds, debt swaps, and conservation trust funds. This webinar will share key findings and recommendations from the report and invite discussion from participants. This webinar is sponsored by the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), an informal partnership which strives to preserve coral reefs and related ecosystems around the world, as part of its collaboration with the Conservation Finance Alliance for promoting innovative financing for coral reef conservation.

Co-sponsors: OCTO (OpenChannels, The Skimmer, MPA News), the EBM Tools Network (co-coordinated by OCTO and NatureServe), and the Reef Resilience Network

Register:

·       Viewing 1: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_BoVvSwLgQ-GqO7osvPc4YQ

·       Viewing 2: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RhZKT0S4SQW3DPJ3K0XNXg

Photo Credit: Jayne Jenkins

April 17th: Forum on Financing for Development Side Event

Scaling Up Conservation Finance: What will it take?

Wed. 17th April 2019, 1:15-2:30pm Conference Room S-2726-2727

Organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and the Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations, this event explores the challenges and innovative approaches to meeting the challenges of mobilizing finance, including private finance, on a scale needed to halt and reverse the degradation of natural ecosystems and loss of

biodiversity of the past several decades. This is critical to achieving the sustainable development goals, yet until now investments in natural capital remain severely underfunded. A number of initiatives supported by new thinking and financial innovation are trying to address this challenge, with some success. The event will review some of the more interesting initiatives with a view to informing Ministries of Finance, multilateral and national development banks, and private financiers attending this year’s Financing for Development Forum at the United Nations. The event aims to stimulate discussion between public, private and conservation community actors on ways to mobilize larger amounts for investment in conservation of valuable ecosystems and biodiversity.

Following the 2016 World Conservation Congress, IUCN and partners launched the Coalition for Private Investment in Conservation (CPIC), which continues its work to provide substantive guidance to financial institutions on designing financial instruments which yield both attractive financial returns and significant conservation benefits. The progress of CPIC’s work will be presented, as will the experience of other conservation finance initiatives.

A key question for discussion will be: what are the key obstacles to large-scale ‘bankability’ of conservation projects and how are they being overcome. It has been suggested that the conservation finance field is still wide open to intermediaries, to project aggregators with field expertise who can respond to the substantial interest of investors by packing projects to meet size thresholds. Intermediaries are tasked with providing replicability and standardization for investors1. At the same time, there is a need for project developers on the ground who can wed the needs of local nature and local communities with the needs of global investors.

Agenda:

Opening remarks: H.E. Anne Gueguen, Deputy Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations

Moderator: David O’Connor, Permanent Observer to UN, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

Standardize, Replicate and Aggregate: the Work of the Coalition for Private Investment in Conservation (CPIC)

Frank Hawkins, Head of IUCN North America Office

Financing Conservation at Scale: Perspectives from the Field

Caleb McClennen, Vice President Global Conservation, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)

The Lion’s Share: Harnessing Advertising Power for Conservation Financing

Midori Paxton, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Lessons for Conservation Finance from Climate Finance

Bruce Usher, Columbia Business School

NatureVest Infrastructure and Renewable Energy Investment in Emerging Markets

JC Danilovich, Senior Director, NatureVest, The Nature Conservancy

Lessons on Getting to Scale from the Conservation Finance Alliance

David Meyers, Executive Director, Conservation Finance Alliance

Q&A and Open Discussion

For those without a UN grounds pass, please RSVP to Conor Strong (conor.strong@ext.iucn.org) with your name as printed on your government issued ID by noon Friday, 12 April 2019.

Download Flyer

Photo credit: UN Forum Home Page

New IUCN Report Helps Choose the Right Tools to Assess How Key Natural Areas Benefit People

IUCN has just issued new guidance to help practitioners assess ecosystem services within important sites for biodiversity and nature conservation. The report reviews nine assessment tools, focussing on their application in Key Biodiversity Areas, natural World Heritage sites and protected areas. It includes a set of “decision trees” to save time on the complex process of selecting the most appropriate tool for one’s specific needs.

The report, "Tools for measuring, modelling, and valuing ecosystem services: Guidance for Key Biodiversity Areas, natural World Heritage sites, and protected areas", is part of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas’ Best Practice Guidelines series. READ MORE

The guidelines have been prepared by IUCN’s World Heritage Programme and the IUCN-WCPANatural Solutions Specialist Group, and the Ecosystem Services and Key Biodiversity Areas expert working group supported by Science for Nature and People Partnership (SNAPP), with funding and in-kind contributions provided by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), Canadian Council on Ecological Areas (CCEA), Center for Biodiversity Outcomes at Arizona State University, Conservation International, SNAPP, and Wildlife Conservation Society.

Asia-Pacific Conservation Trust Fund Network Launched

Representatives from six Conservation Trust Funds in the Asia-Pacific region met in Jakarta, Indonesia in early December 2017 to form the Asia-Pacific Conservation Trust Fund Network, to be known as “APNET.”
 
The new network, modeled on RedLAC and CAFÉ, will serve as a collaborative and knowledge-sharing platform for CTFs in the Asia-Pacific region, and will help to facilitate linkages with CTFs in other parts of the world.
 
Six founding members came together over three days in Jakarta, ably hosted by Yayasan KEHATI, to formally create the network, ratify the governing principles, elect the first Executive Committee, and select the Host Institution to house the Secretariat.
 
APNET’s founding members are Arannayk Foundation of Bangladesh, represented by Farid Uddin Ahmed and Dr Muhammed Quddus; Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation, represented by Dr. Pema Choephyel and Singye Dorji; Forest Foundation Philippines, represented by Jose Andres Canivel; Foundation for the Philippine Environment represented by Oliver Agoncillo; Micronesia Conservation Trust represented by Lisa Ranahan Andon; and Yayasan KEHATI of Indonesia represented by M.S. Sembiring, Indra Gunawan and Fardila Astari.  The Phoenix Islands Protected Area Trust and Tasmanian Land Conservancy are also founding members but were unable to attend the meeting in person.
 
Farid Uddin Ahmed, Lisa Ranahan Andon, Pema Choephyel, Jane Hutchinson, and M.S. Sembiring were elected to the Executive Committee.
 
Yayasan KEHATI was selected as the first Host Institution of the network, and will serve as the base for the Secretariat.
 
APNET plans to hold its first Assembly in March, 2019.
 
Other meeting attendees included Nety Riana and Mozaika Hendarti of Yayasan KEHATI, Robert Baigrie of Conservation International, Katy Mathias of Wildlife Conservation Society, and Roman Czebiniak of EcoNusantara.
 
Funding for the meeting and the initial formation of APNET was provided by Conservation International, Fonds Français for l’Environnement Mondial (FFEM) and the MAVA Foundation.

WCS Announcing 2018 Request for Proposals through Climate Adaptation Fund

The Wildlife Conservation Society has announced the next round of grant-making through the Climate Adaptation Fund.  Learn more about this year's Request for Proposals here, and check out the informational video included below.

Interested organizations should carefully review the guidelines outlined in the Request for Proposals posted HERE on their new website.

Pre-proposal applications are due by Friday, April 7th 2018, by 5:00 PM EST. To apply, create an account for your organization or log in to a previously created account and submit your application in their online system.

CFA to Hire First Executive Director

The Conservation Finance Alliance is now soliciting applications for its first full-time Executive Director, to lead the next stage of CFA's strengthening and growth as a network. The job description and application process can be accessed through the CFA website. Please help us spread the word to people who you think would be good candidates for the position. Applications are requested by November 15 via the WCS careers page.

WCS Seeks Associate-Level Climate Scientist

The Wildlife Conservation Society is currently seeking an associate-level climate scientist for a full-time position in Bozeman, Montana through the America's Program. The WCS America’s Program, spanning North and South America, works to conserve a strategic set of wildlife and wild places, and to address the crosscutting conservation challenges of ecological connectivity, natural resource extraction, and climate change. The Climate Change Assistant Conservationist hired to work in this program will provide scientific, conservation, and technical support for climate change adaptation projects at several landscapes across North and South America, aimed at applying best-available climate change science to identify or modify conservation and management practices.

If interested in applying, please see the full Terms of Reference and submit necessary materials via WCS's Website. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

WCS and USAID Launch Uganda Biodiversity Fund

     On the 1st of March, 2017, the WCS, with support from USAID, launched the Uganda Biodiversity Fund. This fund aims to help generate the resources needed to conserve Uganda’s wildlife and natural heritage. For further details on what will benefit from the fund, its future goals, and how you can become involved, please see the WCS News Release.

Climate Adaptation Fund Releases the 2017 Request for Proposals

The Wildlife Conservation Society is pleased to announce the next round of grantmaking through the Climate Adaptation Fund.

The full announcement can be found here. Details about needed information and application materials can be found on their site, and feel free to check out their promotional video!

Stay up to date with WCS Adapts by checking out their Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. 

Interested applicants must submit proposals by 7 April 2017.