Todd Gartner

🤔 Where does funding for forest conservation and restoration come from? To help answer this question, Nature4Climate has surveyed existing resources and analysis to help clarify the sources of this money. These are the three main takeaways from their report. But remember, these are just the topline findings. You’ll need to dive into the full report to read the nuance (link in the comments). 1️⃣ Public finance is critical. However, Nature4Climate found that public finance is unlikely to exponentially scale year on year as the climate crisis intensifies. Instead, the report recommended that the public sector must allocate its finite resources in the most impactful and effective manner. 2️⃣ Scaling up private sector finance is critical It is essential that private sector finance supports climate adaptation and mitigation efforts in addition to what is offered by public finance. The report found that although there are several private sector mechanisms with long-term potential, the voluntary carbon market is one of the only solutions with near-term potential (providing quality concerns are addressed). 3️⃣ Focus on what we have Nature4Climate emphasised the importance of the mechanisms we have available today. To scale private finance, we must improve the VCM, as well as striving for additional solutions including policy and bold innovations. Click the link in the comments to learn more. #ForestConservation #ForestRestoration #CarbonFinance

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What can agricultural land contribute to protecting biodiversity? In this issue of From the Ground Up, American Farmland Trust's Caro Roszell, and farm and forest policy consultant (and an editor of From the Ground Up) Brian Donahue, investigate this question, shining a light on the rise and fall of the populations of bobolink and other grassland birds in New England. They examine the factors contributing to their significant decline and provide hopeful pathways forward that could be a boon for both the region’s food systems and its biodiversity. With the rise of twentieth century industrial agriculture and suburban development, the farmland habitat for most grassland birds was greatly reduced. On the farmland that remained, earlier and more frequent hay cuttings improved the quality of the hay but degraded the habitat. Sadly, many hayfields now function as ecological sinks, attracting grassland birds to nest and then destroying nestlings before they can fly. Roszell and Donahue present a promising paradigm for farmers and wildlife to support each other. They write, “A rebirth of New England grass farming, after more than a century of decline, could yield multiple benefits: new opportunities for farmers and an increasing regional food supply; improved soil health, carbon storage, and resilience; and real biological conservation value from our farmland.” Read their thoughts and suggestions on how simple adjustments to hay cutting and grazing practices can be the pathway to an avian-agrarian partnership that will make habitats healthier for all species, human and wild. https://buff.ly/4emf5Wd #conservation #newengland #northeast #landconservation #wwfc #environment #biodiversity ##bobolink #agriculture #farming #grassland #grasslandbirds

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There are so many benefits to Nature Based Solutions... Carbon Sequestration, Biodiversity and so much more. Let's talk. Benefits of Nature-Based Solutions There are numerous positive impacts NBS can have on the environment, communities and our global society. For example, doing a restorative carbon sequestration project on a drained peatland would provide a natural carbon sink to take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Doing so would also improve biodiversity in the area, and allow native plant species to re-establish. Restoring a peatland/wetland could also provide the community with recreational opportunities, improving health. Overall, this would create a healthier ecosystem for the plants, animals, and the surrounding community. On this note, Nature-based solutions also can create new economic opportunities. Restoring a peatland or a forest is no simple task and many jobs can be created out of these projects. Allowing for a boost to the local economies that restorative projects are based out of. Nature-Based Solutions Moving Forward Due to the numerous positive benefits of NBS and their cost-effective and sustainable approach to environmental issues, they are becoming increasingly popular as a viable alternative to traditional engineering solutions. Minnesota contain

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Happy #Arborday! Let's Talk Forests 🌳 & Carbon ☁️   The conversation about forestlands is changing. It now includes discussions of the value of forests, not only in terms of providing products but also in terms of how well-managed forests mitigate climate change. Matt Russell, Arbor Custom Analytics, explains the terminology used to describe the measure of sequestration rates of forests. If you want to learn more about #forests and #carbon, mark your calendar 📅 for our upcoming #webinar with Matt on May 23, at 2:00 p.m. EST, on 'Placing Harvested Wood Products in the Forest Carbon Discussion.' Stay tuned for registration details! Finally, explore FRA's Carbon Reports 🌳 – your ultimate resource for comprehensive state-specific carbon facts, all conveniently compiled in one printable page. Find your state's data now! https://lnkd.in/gg8GD-bB https://lnkd.in/er2Rfcsq

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🌾 Smallholder farmers are on the front lines of climate change, often facing unpredictable weather and crop losses. Our latest Policy Insight explores strategies—like access to climate information services, adoption of drought-resistant crops, and improved financial tools like agricultural insurance—that can advance resilience-building for the agriculture sector in the face of climate change. Learn more about effectively building resilience: https://lnkd.in/eAYfMkFS

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Our latest resource Wildfires and “Un-Natural Disasters”: A Tip Sheet for Communicators will help you talk wildfires and climate change. Now is the time, when wildfires are top of mind for Canadians, to talk about mitigating and adapting to wildfire season. Our tip sheet provides you with the best tactics for making the connection between wildfires, climate change and fossil fuels. And if you’re looking for more facts to bolster your communications, Canadian Climate Institute / Institut climatique du Canada recently released fact sheets on Climate Change and Wildfires and Climate Change and Heat Waves. Download and share all four of these excellent resources today. #climatecommunications #unnaturaldisasters #wildfires #heatwaves https://lnkd.in/diQpKpbT https://lnkd.in/dcifyDag https://lnkd.in/dEDTq8n3

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I look forward to reading this paper on the effectiveness of emissions reductions and carbon removals.

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The WWF's 2024 Living Planet Report is reporting a 73% decline in biodiversity since 1970. Although changes in the environment may appear gradual and relatively small, we are beginning to see evidence of their cumulative effects and there are concerns that we are approaching dangerous, irreversible tipping points. If we tip over, the results will be catastrophic. 🌳 It's time for a local, national, global push for #NaturePositive 🌳 How can your business contribute to a nature-positive future? #ActNowForNature #JoinTheEvolution #GetOnTrack #BizBioIrl

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🔥💧Download Our Policy Brief: Conserving the Amazon’s Freshwater Ecosystems As the Amazon faces a fire emergency, understanding the interconnection between its ecosystems has never been more urgent. Discover the vital role of Amazonian freshwater ecosystems in hydrological cycling and biodiversity. This brief outlines key strategies to safeguard these critical resources, including the importance of maintaining river connectivity, combating degradation, and fostering inclusive community management. 📥 Download here: https://lnkd.in/e6_tY94V 👀 Also read our perspective on the Amazonia Fires: https://lnkd.in/eiMzGa6g  #TheAmazonWeWant #Water #Connectivity #AmazonCrisis

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🌱 𝑬𝒙𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑩𝒊𝒐𝒅𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝑪𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝑼𝒑𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 🌱 ◾ Verra to launch the Nature Framework under SD VISta Program by late 2024. This methodology will quantify biodiversity outcomes and generate Nature Credits, driving finance to high-quality conservation activities. https://lnkd.in/gSqZMNQj ◾ Bosques Nativos Argentinos and ACUDE Foundation team up with Environmental Markets Fairness Foundation (EMFF) to launch biodiversity credit projects in Argentina's Atlantic Forest and Gran Chaco, aiming for COP16 UN biodiversity summit. https://lnkd.in/gczcs_zC ◾ Iceland-based International Carbon Registry (ICR) announces a pilot biodiversity program to develop a framework for issuing voluntary biodiversity credits. https://lnkd.in/gahTWuJg ◾ rePlanet projects to sell voluntary biodiversity credits worth over $14 million within the next three months to multiple-buyer groups. https://lnkd.in/gYVNvpRK #credits #biodiversity #environment #sustainability #cop16 #un

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Oregon’s forests are on the frontlines of the climate crisis — not only as victims of increasing wildfires but also as a critical defense against carbon emissions. As highlighted in recent discussions, carbon markets are emerging as a tool to protect these ecosystems while addressing climate issues. However, these markets are far from perfect, and the example of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation shows both the potential and the challenges. In 2015, record wildfires swept across Oregon, a deep reminder of the accelerating impacts of climate change. For tribes such as the Colville, who steward over 900,000 acres of forest, balancing sustainable forest management with the risk of wildfire is an urgent task. Carbon markets allow entities to sell carbon credits by maintaining forests that sequester carbon, offering a financial lifeline alongside conservation incentives. But the system is complicated. For example, while carbon credits may keep forests standing, they simultaneously allow the industries buying those credits to continue polluting. This creates the risk of perpetuating emissions without directly investing in cleaner technologies. Additionally, climate change makes carbon credits especially volatile. What happens if the forests backing these credits burn down? The stored carbon is released, turning the market mechanism from a climate solution to a climate hazard. These concerns underscore the need for stronger regulatory and verification frameworks, ensuring transparency and accountability. If carbon markets are to succeed, they must work hand-in-hand with regulatory bodies that ensure long-term sustainability and honest reporting. One aspect that must not be overlooked is the role of Indigenous stewardship. The Colville Tribes and other Indigenous communities have historically managed these lands with practices like controlled burns and biodiversity protection. Their deep connection to the land provides lessons in ecological management that need to be a key part of any solution. For carbon markets to truly work, Indigenous leaders must not just participate but lead — ensuring that the systems honor the land and its people. Moving forward, we need to better link the reduction of emissions at their source with this market-driven forest conservation approach. Without healthy forests, the road to addressing climate change becomes that much harder. It’s an exciting time for carbon markets, but the stakes are immense. Let’s ensure they drive real change — both for the planet and the communities who depend on it. #ClimateAction #Sustainability #CarbonMarkets #IndigenousRights #Forestry #Oregon

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Spotlight on #hifor from Ashley Camhi, Ph.D. in the lead up to #cop16. Thanks to Environmental Finance for detailing the importance of private sector investment in large, intact tropical forests. "Historically, these areas have been funded – often insufficiently – by governments or philanthropy. But there is a growing realization of the role to be played by the private sector finance. Across the world, businesses are dependent on natural capital but are not paying for it. That's where HIFOR comes in. We are aiming to build a market around these ecosystem services, so the private sector contributes to protecting and conserving them by compensating the stewards of these areas. One of the sectors that has started to understand the importance of these areas is the financial sector because they are thinking about the risk to their portfolios. And when you think about systemic risk, these ecosystems, these habitats are critical for global climate and water regulation." https://lnkd.in/etrxqaJu #esg #nature #naturefinance #biodiversity

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We’re celebrating 3 years of #TreeEquity Score!    Tree Equity Score was created to help address damaging environmental inequities by prioritizing human-centered investment in areas with the greatest need.   By planting the right trees in the neighborhoods that need them the most, we can help create #TreeEquity across the US!    🌳 Read more from Chris David, VP of GIS and Data Science: https://bit.ly/3L2vGSb

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How is #aquifer depletion connected to loss of #drought resilience? In the Spring Issue of Irrigation Today, DWFI Director of Policy Nicholas Brozovic shares how groundwater depletion makes agricultural production more physically and economically vulnerable to drought risks, both now and in the future. Read the article: https://lnkd.in/gqf6EfK3

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Sharing WWF’s latest innovation, the #NBSAP Tracker—a powerful tool that monitors how countries are advancing their biodiversity commitments through their National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs). This tracker offers an accessible way to assess progress and evaluate how national strategies align with the UN’s Global Biodiversity Framework, with the goal of reversing biodiversity loss by 2030. Explore more: https://lnkd.in/gcjRjbMJ

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🌲✨ “Our forest is well managed given what we have available [for funding]”🌿 Tribes have stewarded their forests for generations, focusing on restoration and safeguarding resources, even when a lack of federal funding continues to be a challenge. Explore tribal forest management in the new IFMAT IV StoryMap, 'Breaking Point: The State of Tribal Forestry Today.' Visit the StoryMap: https://arcg.is/0fn985 #TribalForestry #BreakingPoint #EnvironmentalStewardship #IntertribalTimberCouncil #TribalForests #IndianForests #AmericanForests #NativeAmerican #IndianCountry #Indigenous #NaturalResources #IndigenousKnowledge #IFMATIV #IndianCountry #Indigenous #ClimateChange #IndigenousTraditionalEcologicalKnowledge #ITEK #IFMAT

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