Financing Nature: Closing the Biodiversity Financing Gap

September 17th, 2020
10 - 11 am EST

Join Hank Paulson and a panel of VIPs for the launch of a landmark report that makes the economic case for valuing nature and explores innovative financing mechanisms and policies that could help close the biodiversity financing gap.

Earth is experiencing accelerating biodiversity loss driven by humans. Climate change, also driven by human activities, is exacerbating these dramatic declines in nature.

Although we will never be able to calculate the full value of nature, we know enough to realize that the destruction of nature presents profound risks to human societies.

Reversing this worrying trend will require a transformational shift in the way markets, and the discipline of economics more broadly, value nature. And this shift needs to be reflected across public and private sectors as well as the general public.

Directors for the CORB Fund

The Cubango-Okavango River Basin is one of the jewels of Africa, recognized globally as one of the world’s greatest natural wonders – with a unique inland delta teeming with wildlife and epitomized by its status as a Wetland of International Importance (Ramsar Site) and UNESCO’s 1,000th World Heritage Site. The countries of Angola, Botswana and Namibia jointly established the Cubango-Okavango River Basin Fund (CORB Fund), as a Company Limited by Guarantee in Botswana to sustain the integrity of this vast and important ecosystem together with the people who live within it. The CORB Fund is a fully independent hybrid fund that aims to enhance livelihoods, improve ecosystem resilience and provide equitable benefits to the riparian states of Angola, Botswana and Namibia, in their shared river basin. The Fund now seeks four highly motivated and experienced people to join the Board of Directors and help to protect the culture and nature of the Okavango and ensure the endurance of its people. The invitation for consideration to join the Board is now available on the OKACOM website and all individuals interested in becoming a part of this exciting and important new member of the conservation finance community can find the information for the Director positions at this web link:

BIOFUND Mozambique demonstrates the added value of CTFs, making 3 million USD available for a conservation response to COVID-19

This support is intended to help maintain the jobs of up to 950 of the 1,600 rangers in the National System of Conservation Areas, so as to guarantee the preservation of the country’s biodiversity during a phase in which the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are seriously affecting the conservation sector.

BIOFIN (Biodiversity Finance Initiative) COVID19 Crowdfunding Campaign

BIOFIN has recently launched a crowdfunding campaign in order to support the Tamaraws, a wild dwarf buffalo living in only one place in the world -- the island of Mindoro (the Philippines). Recently, due to COVID19, 32 of 35 wardens and 1 ranger previously operating in Mount Iglit Baco National Park, the last remaining bastion for the Tamaraws, have lost their jobs. The endangered Tamaraws are at risk of losing their protectors.

Please access the official communication from BIOFIN below, and participate in this crowdfunding campaign!

Webinar Series: Strengthening Protected Area Management Effectiveness

This series is part of the IUCN WCPA's "Vital Sites; the Journey to Marseille", a 6-month long series of online events and multimedia content to run between June 2020 and the rescheduled World Conservation Congress in January 2021. 

This four-part webinar series aims to strengthen and continue connections among protected area practitioners and those involved in the evaluation of management effectiveness for protected areas. 

Job Posting: Senior Environmental Specialist (World Bank Group)

The World Bank is seeking to recruit a Senior Environmental Specialist based in Washington DC.  The work program for this position will focus on providing technical leadership on biodiversity and wildlife management program, managing an analytical work program (studies), and providing technical advice globally on matters related to ecology and wildlife management to World Bank lending program as needed.  There is also an expectation that in time the candidate would be required to become proficient in the Bank’s environmental and social framework (ESF) and to become an accredited environmental risk management specialist for projects that have complex ecological challenges.  

Call for Proposals: BIOPAMA Rapid Response Grants 2020

BIOPAMA is pleased to announce the launch of the Call for Proposals for Rapid Response Grants of the BIOPAMA Action Component. These grants aim at increasing the resilience of protected areas and local communities’ livelihoods facing the risks and difficulties of the global COVID-19 pandemic in African, Caribbean and Pacific countries. Applications are open to eligible organisations on a rolling basis until 31 December 2020 but will be processed in the order they are received.

CFA is seeking an Intern!

The Conservation Finance Alliance (CFA) is the leading global professional alliance of conservation finance experts, practitioners, and organizations.  The CFA’s mission it to promote awareness, expertise, and innovation in conservation finance globally.  Our internships are extremely interesting and technical.  Please follow the link to the advertisement below and share with potential candidates. Please note, this is an unpaid position. 

Short Term Consultancy - Business Development Consultant for SeyCCAT

The GOS-UNDP-GEF Programme Coordination Unit (PCU) within the Ministry of Environment is implementing a GEF funded project entitled “Seychelles Protected Areas Finance” (PAF).
Under Activity 2.3.1. the PAF project aims to support the implementation of Seychelles’ Conservation and Climate Adaptation Trust (SeyCCAT),  under activity 2.3.2. the funding needs of Protected Area Systems (PAS) are duly articulated in the creation and management of environmental finance mechanisms in Seychelles, including the SeyCCAT, and they have become mainstreamed.

The PAF project seeks to recruit a business development consultant to undertake a review of the SeyCCAT business model and evaluate possible opportunities that can exist to grow both the annually disbursed Grants Fund and the budget for administration and operations.

COVID19 and the Conservation Finance Community: Blended Finance

The fifth Coronavirus and the Conservation Finance Community online discussion will dive into the benefits of Blended Finance for Nature as a robust conservation finance mechanism in the time of Coronavirus and beyond.

July 31st, 11am EST
Registration required

Blended Finance is defined as “the use of catalytic capital from public or philanthropic sources to increase private sector investment in sustainable development” (Convergence).  This was one of the conservation finance mechanisms that remains potentially robust despite the current Covid19 pandemic (see CFA Covid discussion).  Three panelists coming from diverse organizations active in this area will discuss the benefits and challenges of Blended Finance as a conservation finance mechanism. They will discuss, in the time of coronavirus, how Blended Finance can be used to ensure the continuation of capital flows and alignment of incentives in conservation worldwide. Some specific topics may include how the current Covid19 pandemic has impacted the formation and execution of Blended Finance mechanisms. As well, looking ahead, what are some of the lessons learned as a result of this pandemic that can help strengthen Blended Finance mechanisms.

Moderated by:

David Meyers - Executive Director, CFA

Panelists

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Adhiti Gupta - Convergence

Adhiti is a Manager at Convergence where she leads the market acceleration program for blended finance vehicles in emerging markets. She manages Design Funding, which provides early stage grant support for the design of blended finance vehicles aligned to the SDGs that aim to attract private capital at scale. Prior to Convergence, Adhiti advised funds, family offices and foundation making impact investments in developed and emerging markets while working at RPCK, a boutique law firm in New York City.

Adhiti has previously practiced in India, where she advised on cross-border M&A transactions and private equity/venture capital transactions. Adhiti also counseled social enterprises as a consultant with Accion Microfinance Council and a project manager with Columbia Impact Investing Initiative. Adhiti holds a master’s degree from Columbia Law School, and a law degree from National Law School of India University. She has been awarded the Temasek Foundation Leadership Enrichment and Regional Networking Award by the National University of Singapore.

Gregory Watson - Natural Capital Lab, IDB

Gregory Watson currently leads the IDB’s Natural Capital Lab, funded with $44M from the governments of France and the United Kingdom.  The lab serves as a one-stop shop for the IDB Group and partners to drive innovation in natural capital finance and biodiversity mainstreaming.  ​It was created to incubate, accelerate, and scale new solutions to pressing environmental problems by looking at nature as asset.  Previously, Gregory was a Lead Specialist at the IDB Lab’s Climate-Smart Agriculture team. He led the IDB’s first equity investment in oceans, led an award-winning Forest Investment Program equity investment in a silvopastoral system in Brazil, helped develop the first Biodiversity Habitat Bank in Latin America, worked to develop a new asset class for natural capital trading, and designed other private sector projects in forestry, development impact bonds, and technology in the natural capital space.

Prior to this, he led the IDB Lab Environment and Clean Energy team in conceptualizing, overseeing, and implementing projects, investments, and research in clean and efficient energy, natural capital, and adaptation.    He created the EcoMicro green microfinance program, which was selected by the UNFCCC as a global “Lighthouse Award”.  He also conceptualized and launched the Climatescope, the first-ever ranking of the investment climate for climate investment in the Latin America and Caribbean region, and designed the first private sector Forest Investment Program project in the world, in Mexico.  A successful fundraiser, he also raised over $50M from the GCF, CIFs, and bilateral donors in this position.

Mr. Watson has a Master’s degree in International Development from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and a bachelor’s from Tufts University.

Avril Benchimol - Blended Finance, Global Environment Facility

Avril Benchimol is leading the blended finance initiative at the GEF. She has sixteen years of experience in capital markets and structured finance both in multilateral institutions and investment banking. For the last eight years she worked at IDB-Invest, the private sector arm of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and at IDB Lab, designing and executing financial solutions for private sector clients in Latin America and the Caribbean. The projects included the use of guarantees, loans, and structured financing to issue sustainable and green bonds in both local currency and USD. She also led a green microfinance facility in 11 countries that facilitated microfinance clients’ mitigation and adaptation initiatives.

Prior to joining the IDB Group, she spent six years working in investment banking for Morgan Stanley and BNP Paribas Fortis in London, Madrid, and Brussels. Her main areas of expertise included the structuring and origination of equity and debt transactions as well as the sales of structured equity derivatives. In 2011, she received her Master’s of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown, where she graduated with honors.

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Background on the Conservation Finance Alliance and the Coronavirus and Conservation Finance Community Series

The Conservation Finance Alliance (CFA) is the leading global professional alliance of conservation finance experts, practitioners, and organizations.  The CFA’s mission is to promote awareness, expertise, and innovation in conservation finance globally.

The CFA has recently introduced a new series of online discussions regarding the impact of COVID-19 on conservation finance, titled “Coronavirus and the Conservation Finance Community”.

To date, three online discussions have been held. The first discussion focused generally on CTF’s, with representatives from CAFÉ and RedLAC discussing how the pandemic was impacting operations, finance flows, and what the future could look like. The second discussion identified specific conservation finance tools that are viewed as most robust in the face of the crisis. Following the taxonomy of conservation finance mechanisms outlined in the CFA white paper “Conservation Finance: A Framework”, three tools were identified: Public-Private Partnerships, Blended Finance, and Mainstreaming Biodiversity in Development.

The CFA is continuing the discussion by holding three additional online calls, focusing on each of these priority finance mechanisms.  The first of the three calls, which focused on Public-Private Partnerships with an emphasis on Marine Protected Areas, was recently completed on June 18th (recording available here).

The remaining calls are Mainstreaming Biodiversity in Development planned for July 10th and Blended Finance planned for sometime in late July (date will be announced shortly).