Wildlife Works

Geoffrey Mwangi, Wildlife Works Senior Research Scientist at the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project, recently spoke at the World Biodiversity Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Geoff used the Kasigau Corridor as a case study to illustrate how the #voluntarycarbonmarket can be used to ensure communities and biodiversity are not left behind while achieving climate benefits. Geoff’s key findings from attending the conference were: 🌱 Climate change remains a major threat to biodiversity. 🌱 Market-based solutions are crucial to address the $700 billion annual conservation funding gap. Several biodiversity units were showcased at the conference, but more standardization is needed. #Carboncredits are currently the most viable market-based mechanism to also protect biodiversity. 🌱 Climate change discourse is still the leading approach to pursue biodiversity conservation since: -It has a unified framework (UNFCCC), under which most actions are undertaken, compared to multiple biodiversity frameworks such as the CBD, Ramsar Convention, CITES and others, which makes biodiversity action more scattered. -It has a clear target (1.5°C warming limit). -It presents a stronger business case, attracting more political attention. Were you at the World #Biodiversity Forum? If so, we’d love to hear your key takeaways in the comments section below.

This week at the Oslo Tropical Forest Forum, Eve BAZAIBA MASUDI, Minister for the Environment of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, told polluting, industrialized countries to move away from development aid and towards a win-win market finance partnership. High-integrity REDD+ projects direct climate funds to Global South governments and local forest communities so that they can reach their own development goals, on their own terms.

Meet Laura Martínez-Íñigo, Principal Biodiversity Scientist at Wildlife Works. Laura’s passion for community-led conservation and in-depth knowledge of biodiversity monitoring techniques makes her an invaluable part of our team.

Vultures, like the white-backed (Gyps africanus) and lappet-faced (Trogos tracheliotos) species at the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ project in Kenya, are critical to maintaining ecosystem health. It may not be the most glamorous of jobs, but as the “garbage men'' of the savannas, vultures remove toxins from the environment that are harmful to both humans and other species. Despite this importance, most African vulture species are now endangered. Certain medications for cattle, such as Diclofenac, are poisonous to vultures who eat their remains. Vultures are also sometimes intentionally poisoned by poachers who don’t want a flock of vultures to give away the location of an illegally killed animal. Vultures also face the risks of electrocution from power lines, road collisions while feeding on carrion, and habitat loss from #deforestation. The loss of vultures ricochets through the food web and detrimentally affects many species, including humans. Without vultures, other scavengers like rats and feral dogs can fill their ecological niche, which leads to harmful diseases being transmitted back to, and in some instances, killing humans. In the case of vultures, it is clear that #WildlifeWorks to maintain ecosystem and human health. In partnership with local communities, we are committed to protecting endangered vulture species and the Kasigau Corridor they inhabit. #Vultures #Conservation #Kenya

Wildlife Works is headed to London Climate Action Week! (1) Mike Korchinsky, Founder and President of Wildlife Works, will be speaking at a roundtable discussion titled, “The role of tech innovation in scaling up private financing of natural climate solutions: closing the trust gap” alongside Chloris Geospatial AXA Investment Managers Natural Climate Solutions Alliance 🗓 Date: Wednesday, June 26 ⏰ Time: 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM 📍Location: 2 George Yard, London EC3V 9DH, UK Register here: https://lnkd.in/geX4Hyuf (2) Representatives from our policy team will be attending the Ground Climate Action in Human Rights session co-organized by Peoples Forests Partnership, Fauna & Flora and Natural Climate Solutions Alliance. 🗓 Date: June 26 ⏰ Time: 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM 📍Location: 80 Charlotte Street, London Join this pivotal discussion on strengthening community rights and achieving positive outcomes in climate action. Learn about the crucial role that carbon and biodiversity finance can and must play to get it right. Event Highlights: 🟢Case Studies and Panelists from the UK, Liberia, Nepal, and Latin America 🟢In-depth discussions on integrating human rights into climate action 🟢Strategies to leverage carbon and biodiversity finance for better outcomes Register here: https://lnkd.in/e-c4RVJb #LCAW2024 #VCM Beto Borges, Melissa Panhol Bayma, Anna Lehmann

The Gartner Hype Cycle - a visual representation of the adoption, maturity, and social use of new technologies - is a useful framework to understand the roller coaster ride the #VoluntaryCarbonMarket (VCM) has been on over the past few years. In 2022, the VCM reached 2 billion dollars in value as high-profile commitments by companies to achieve carbon neutrality through purchasing carbon credits fueled high expectations. Then as the market rapidly expanded, several challenges such as the quality and credibility of some carbon credits, the potential for greenwashing, and skeptical reports from misguided journalists plunged the market into a trough of disillusionment. Those who oppose market-based climate solutions on ideological grounds are now dominating the conversation. These vocal critics offer no clear alternative, except perhaps a complete overhaul of global society. It is within this context that the Biden Administration’s “New Principles for High-Integrity Voluntary Carbon Markets” take on extreme importance. This endorsement from one of the most powerful governments in the world, in tandem with strengthening regulatory frameworks, is a strong signal that we are exiting the Gartner Hype Cycle’s “trough of disillusionment” and headed towards the “slope of enlightenment.”  Would you agree? From a high-quality project developer’s view, the Biden Administration's VCM guidelines recognize the work of community-centered developers like us to strengthen the integrity of the market. Read more on our latest blog here: https://lnkd.in/gqw5kN_5

Equitable Earth, a new forest carbon standard that puts forest communities at the heart of forest and biodiversity conservation, announces an exciting milestone with their partnership with Chloris Geospatial as their exclusive provider of digital monitoring, reporting and verification (dMRV) of forest carbon data. This partnership will allow projects verified with Equitable Earth to report more accurately than was previously possible – including the reporting of carbon emissions from deforestation as well as degradation and removals from carbon stock improvement. “Equitable Earth's commitment is to serve the voluntary carbon market holistically, ensuring that our efforts not only meet scientific accuracy and independence but also benefit local communities. With Chloris’s cutting-edge carbon stock and change measurement methodologies, we are poised to enhance the credibility and effectiveness of the Equitable Carbon Standard,” said Beto Borges, Chair of the Equitable Earth Indigenous Peoples & Local Communities Advisory Group. We agree with Chloris and Beto that this is an important step for the voluntary carbon market to foster trust in high-quality forest conservation projects.

#Deforestation contributes to the extreme droughts seen across the planet. Unsurprisingly, the connection between #forests and the #climate is complex. But one thing is clear: clouds require moisture and forests store vast amounts of moisture, which when evaporated, leads to cloud formation and helps create regional rain patterns. In 2023 we lost 10 football pitches of forest per minute. This loss has disturbed regional rain patterns, and contributed to both the severe droughts and extreme floods seen around the world. For the sake of regional rain patterns and global food security, it is important now more than ever to protect our world’s forests. At the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project in Kenya, communities have been experiencing drought and unpredictable rain patterns for years. They are using carbon revenue to finance solutions for drought and to stop deforestation. Swipe to learn more about the connections between deforestation and #drought

If you're going to London Climate Action Week and are interested in the role of #biodiversity and #carbon finance to achieve positive outcomes for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, be sure to attend this event! #LACW2024

On this #DesertificationandDroughtDay take a minute to watch our short film, “Water is Life.” According to the World Resources Institute, a quarter of the world’s population currently faces “extremely high water stress” each year, with an additional 1 billion people expected to be affected by 2050. At the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project in Kenya, carbon revenue has proved critical for financing climate adaptation in the face of severe droughts. Thanks to new water storage infrastructure and pipelines, over 100,000 people have increased access to water. #CarbonCreditsWork #Water #Conservation