Conservation International

Conservation International applauds the Integrity Council for recognizing the value of natural climate solutions and approving three forestry methodologies for high-integrity carbon credits. It is a major step forward in the market's evolution that will incentivize bolder climate action and catalyze much-needed finance to Indigenous Peoples and local communities on the frontlines protecting nature. Our statement> https://lnkd.in/e2p5_Sng

No Moo Deng chat today. We’re talking carbon markets and blue carbon:    --Global Leaders Call for Accelerated Forest Carbon Payments to Protect Forests and Achieve Climate Goal: Forest & Climate Leaders' Partnership (FCLP) convened a high-level event with Indigenous Peoples, business, and environmental leaders to highlight efforts to urgently scale up financing for forest protection and climate action through results-based payments and high integrity carbon markets. “Forest carbon payments — including high-integrity carbon markets — are essential for transforming economic incentives to make nature more valuable intact than destroyed. There’s growing recognition across sectors — from governments to Fortune 50 C-suites — that our future depends on safeguarding nature,” said CEO Dr. M Sanjayan in a statement. “But recognition alone won’t keep forests standing, secure carbon in the ground, or support the Indigenous peoples and local communities who steward these lands. Only immediate, robust financing can shift the dynamics that threaten our forests and the billions of people who rely on them.” https://lnkd.in/evGT9ygt --Highlighting Blue Carbon Case Studies: We co-hosted an interactive discussion with The Commonwealth Secretariat, Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance, and Rare to evaluate challenges and opportunities to finance blue carbon conservation and restoration. Gillian Sawyer, Senior Manager for Blue Climate Strategy, was one of the opening speakers, highlighting different financing models and related blue carbon case studies. Looking for MORE on carbon markets tomorrow? Of course you are! Join some of our delegation at the IETA Business Hub at 11:30 AZT for Advancing Carbon Market Integrity for People and the Planet. Patricia Zurita among the speakers!

⁉️ At #COP29, nature plays a central role in climate solutions, but understanding the jargon is essential! We asked Nature4Climate friends and partners to break down key terms like NCQG, NDC, and REDD+, explaining how each one contributes to a nature-positive, resilient future. 🔎 By decoding these key concepts, we’re making it easier to follow the commitments and actions needed to protect ecosystems and support climate goals. Which term would you like to see explained next?

Here’s what Wednesday brought to our #COP29 delegation…    -- Brazil Minister of the Environment and Climate Change of Brazil Marina Silva reported deforestation in the Amazon last year fell by 30.6%, reaching lowest percent rate in 15 years of deforestation in this critical biome.   --Chief Strategy Officer Patricia Zurita joined a roundtable, High Level Champions Special Event: Making Progress on Nature Finance from Cali to Belem. Green Climate Fund Director for Strategy, Policy, and Innovation Alain Beauvillard Alipour noted the Blue Halo S initiative, a model for ocean conservation and fisheries management in Indonesia. The Blue Halo S initiative is the first ever integrated marine protection and sustainable fishery management approach designed to fund itself over time.   U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for Climate Rick Duke highlighted the critical protection and restoration work in Cerrado, Brazil, and Conservation International Board Member Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim spoke about the need for more climate financing to reach Indigenous communities.   --At the Unveiling the Potential Transformation of Indonesia’s Blue Carbon as Nature-Based Solutions to Climate Change event, Senior Vice President & Executive Chair of Konservasi Indonesia Meizani Irmadhiany discussed key partnerships and actions around climate mitigation and adaptation in blue carbon ecosystems like mangroves and sea grasses. --The new negotiating text for the New Collective Quantified Goal was released. Conservation International is evaluating to see how it reflects the needs and priorities of IPLC direct access issues, among other key elements that would make for a strong outcome. --At the Amazon Climate Solution: Financial Mechanisms to Catalyze a Sustainable Future event in the Amazon Pavillion, Conservation International Brazil Vice President Mauricio Bianco underscored, “This COP needs to deliver clear and significant volume of funding, as we are far from what is needed. Funding nature is extremely important, as it represents one third of the climate solutions and detains less than 3% of investments.”   He was joined by the Governor of the State of Pará Helder Barbalho and Brazil Minister of Family Agriculture Paulo Teixeira, among others.   … And at the Thailand Pavilion you can take a photo with a life-size model of Moo Deng and they will print it for you. This bit isn’t news, but it did bring our delegation joy.   More tomorrow! Caffeinated and motivated! 🫡

Strong climate leadership is more important now than ever. And this year’s #Time100 Climate list recognizes influential leaders like The World Bank’s Ajay Bangale, Colombia’s Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development Susana Muhamad, Microsoft’s Melanie Nakagawa, Mastercard’s Ellen Jackowski, Fortescue’s Andrew Forrest, Arizona State University’s Michael Crow, and so many more who are working tirelessly to drive successful and equitable climate action.

Part two from Conservation International's delegation in for COP29: Approval on Article 6 recommendations: Conservation International Florence Laloë, Senior Director of Climate Policy had this to say on the approval of the new 6.4 standards on Article 6: “The approval of the new 6.4 stands moves the market closer to becoming fully operational, getting the Parties through a process roadblock…  it will be imperative though that countries provide additional guidance at this COP for future work on these standards and the additional tools which are under development so they are not used to exclude or hinder nature and instead keep all sectors on an equal playing field. There is no time to kick the can on Article 6 further down the road. It is no secret that there remains a large climate funding gap and a fully functioning high-integrity U.N. carbon market with clear, realistic and equitable implementation guidelines can be an invaluable tool for enhancing ambition and improving the flow of finance to countries that are stewards of the world’s most carbon-rich ecosystems.” Catalyzing finance for climate solutions: Our Chief Strategy Officer Patricia Zurita joined GenZero and the government of Singapore to discuss the strategies required to scale up finance through carbon markets.    “Nature is an incredibly important part of the solution to the climate crisis. We at Conservation international continue to advocate for nature as a solution – it’s not only good for the climate, it is good for people, for our future, for our economy,” Zurita said at the panel.   Brazil Pavilion is open: Conservation International Brazil VP, Mauricio Bianco; Brazil’s VP, Geraldo Alkimin; Indigenous Peoples Minister, Sonia Guajajara; Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Marina Silva; and other authorities were on-hand for the official opening for the Brazil Pavilion at COP29    Protecting our oceans: The Value of Blue Carbon: from NDCs to Cultural Co-Benefits event, hosted by NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration, UCAR - The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, and Pew, highlighted some of the tools the United States Government and Pacific partners have created to track and quantify blue carbon sinks, and to identify effective opportunities for conservation and restoration while exploring the intrinsic and cultural ecosystem services provided by blue carbon in the Pacific   👀 Watch this space for more news from our delegation as COP29 continues...

Conservation International is in Baku for the next two weeks for COP29, where it is essential that we carry the momentum of Cali forward, from words on a page to robust financial commitments alongside ambitious and determined action. So much coming out of our delegation we had to break this into two parts! Part 1:   “This is a gut-check moment:” Our Chief Strategy Officer Patricia Zurita on what’s at stake at COP29 >> https://lnkd.in/eDMxJmCi   Seed Fund takes center stage: At the Leaders Protecting Forests for Climate, Lives and Livelihoods, a high-level event organized by the Forest & Climate Leaders’ Partnership, the governments of Singapore, Ghana and Colombia noted the importance of country packages to achieving climate goals.   Singapore’s Climate Action Ambassador Ravi Menon, in particular, recognized the critical role of the Seed Fund to help countries implement Country Packages.    The Seed Fund provides early support and catalyzes a multiplier effect by triggering larger public and private investment in the irrecoverable carbon and conservation elements of Country Packages.    Advancing forest tenure rights: At an event on scaling support for the role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities as guardians of forests and nature, UK Foreign Minister David Lammy recommitted the government to deliver £3 billion of climate aid for nature, with half of that amount previously dedicated to forests, alongside an earmark to prioritize the Amazon and its people. “Baku has been widely recognized as the “Finance COP” and parties must leave Azerbaijan with strong climate funding commitments that center nature and the Indigenous peoples and local communities who steward the world’s most carbon-dense ecosystems. Today’s recommitment by the UK government to deliver £3 billion of climate aid for nature with half of that amount previously dedicated to forests, alongside a new earmark to prioritize the Amazon and it’s people sends a strong signal that the time is now to make nature a key part of the climate solution equation – it will be mathematically impossible to reach global goals without it,” said Herbert Lust, SVP of Conservation International-Europe, in a statement. “The planet needs all players to come to the table if we’re to collectively fill the nature-finance gap. Continued high-level leadership throughout the next two weeks and on the road to COP30 - “the Forest COP” - in Brazil is an essential piece of the puzzle if we’re to halt and reverse climate change on a timeline that ensures a stable future for nature and people.”

🌿 Biodiversity at its Best: Central Cardamom Mountains Teem with Rare Wildlife 🌿 Exciting news! A groundbreaking new study by Conservation International and the Cambodian government has revealed incredible biodiversity in the Central Cardamom Mountains, one of Southeast Asia’s most pristine wild landscapes. Using 147 camera traps, researchers captured images of over 100 species—including the endangered pileated gibbon and the critically endangered Sunda pangolin. These findings underscore just how precious and irreplaceable this region truly is. For Legacy Landscapes Fund, this discovery confirms the importance of preserving and protecting landscapes like Central Cardamom. We’re honored to support this area, working to safeguard its rich biodiversity alongside local communities and conservation partners. Read the full study here: https://lnkd.in/gxUq2jUe #Biodiversity #Conservation #LegacyLandscapes #ProtectWildlife #CardamomMountains #SustainableFuture

TONIGHT @ the Hammer Museum: If you’re in the Los Angeles area, make sure to stop by and check out the Impact Zone. Conservation International Surf Conservation Program Senior Director Scott Atkinson will be joining “Breath(e)” exhibition artist Michael Joo, co-curator Glenn Kaino and The Surfrider Foundation CEO Chad Nelsen for a discussion on how the community’s deep connection to the ocean can be harnessed for innovative approaches to ocean conservation. LEARN MORE:

Brazil is home to a vast, but overlooked, tropical savanna called the Cerrado. This sprawling patchwork of open grassland and scattered woodlands covers almost a quarter of the country — an area about the size of Greenland — providing habitat for 1,200 mammals, birds and reptiles and 6,000 plant species. Among its remarkable wildlife are giant anteaters, maned wolves, armadillos and brilliantly colored macaws. But today, more than half of the original Cerrado has been cleared for cattle ranching and soy farming, making it one of the fastest disappearing ecosystems on Earth. And only a fraction of the remaining Cerrado is fully protected by the Brazilian government — around 3 percent. In one corner of southwestern Brazil, a project designed by a sustainable timber operator, BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group, and supported by Conservation International, is breathing new life into the savanna.