News

Nov 2021: Nature 4 Climate Fund revealed at COP26

An exciting week has passed as Natural Strategies Investments was invited by BENELUX-EIB as well as the Global Landscape Forum to the COP26 to present our first impact investment fund concept, the Nature 4 Climate Fund (N4C).

Just in time with the beginning of the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration, the N4C fund represents a strong tool to support the private sector transitioning to greener, sustainable practices. To do so, the N4C fund will invest globally across sectors, focusing on nature-based solutions, green commodities and ecosystem restoration.

With our investments, we aim to avoid more than 21M tons CO2e, conserve over 127k ha of forests and increase the livelihoods of 110k+ households in the developing world.

Watch again

BENELUX-EIB Pavillion ‘Presenting the future leaders in Climate Finance - Dragons' Den Edition’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7_WMrKzjs4

Global Landscape Forum ‘Accelerating Tomorrow’s Climate Finance Leaders’: https://conference.globallandscapesforum.org/climate-2021/session/b07bb2fd-2b33-ec11-ae72-a04a5e7d345e

Oct 2021: ICFA Winner 2021

We are thrilled to share that we have been selected as a winner of the 2021 global competition of the International Climate Finance Accelerator Luxembourg. We are very proud of our team as we went through several rounds of selection competing with innovative climate investment funds from around the world.

The acceleration programme will now support us as we push our emerging investment fund, the Nature 4 Climate Fund, towards its launch. A big thanks to ICFA, the Luxembourg financial sector and Government of Luxembourg for their trust.

Next up will be two side events at the Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November 2021 where we will present our fund and team.

Jul 2021: Natural Strategies co-authors working paper for the G20

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) can help bring ecosystems services back into cities. By doing so, cities can adapt better to climate change and reduce urban heat island effects. However, time is not on our side: Innovative business and finance models that are needed to scale up this action, and quickly. Fortunately, there is a variety of business models that can make NbS commercially viable.

To showcase this, Natural Strategies co-authored this new report that seeks to inspire such action in the G20. It was produced by UNEP in close collaboration with the Italian Presidency of the G20 and published by UNEP in July 2021.

New Natural Strategies investment plan published by UNDP

Papua New Guinea’s biodiversity is exceptionally rich. It is harboured by a network of 62 protected areas - but to manage & conserve this vast area, the Government lacks several million USD annually.

To help close this funding gap, Natural Strategies developed Papua New Guinea’s first ever finance & investment plan for protected areas. On behalf of UNDP and consulting with more than 100 stakeholders, we identified a variety of conventional and innovative financing sources; turned them into a country-wide investment plan; and provided tools and roadmaps to turn it into action.

We thereby seek to increase funding for protected areas across the country.

To find out more visit:

https://www.naturalstrategies.com/project-protectedareas

http://pngbiodiversity.org/financingprotectedareas/

New Natural Strategies report published by WWF

Are you working on REDD+? Then you will have come across the challenging question of REDD+ benefit sharing: How can the incentives to reduce deforestation be shared in an equitable, effective and efficient manner? How can local communities be engaged in design & decision making in a truly meaningful way? What types of benefits help address the drivers of deforestation in the long term?
On behalf of WWF, Natural Strategies looked at REDD+ benefit sharing in 50+ countries around the world. We identified key elements that can determine success or failure in practice. WWF published the report in February 2021.

NATURAL STRATEGIES AT COP25

On 3 December 2019, Natural Strategies co-hosted a side event at COP25 in Madrid. The event, titled ‘Green Finance in Spain: Is Spain aligned with the Paris Agreement?’ focused on the role of civil society in the transition to green financial markets.
Natural Strategies’ Finance and Markets Analyst Oliver Canosa explained our findings on the current enabling environment for sustainable finance in Spain. He presented key conclusions related to incentives, subsidies, public investment strategy and climate risks disclosure, among others.
This was followed by a debate between experts and civil society representatives. On the panel, Oliver Canosa joined Natural Strategies Director Alexander Koch, Luigi Carrafa, Director of the Climate Infrastructure Partnership, and Nadège Trocellier, Head of Climate Change of Lavola, in discussing the role of civil society in advocating for sustainable finance.

LAUNCH EVENT OF THE 3FP-TRACKER ANALYSIS AT ELCANO ROYAL INSTITUTE

On 4 December 2019, we presented the results of Natural Strategies’ 3fP-Tracker analysis on the Spanish enabling environment for sustainable finance vis-a-vis the objectives of the Paris Agreement. The 3fp-Tracker methodology was developed by the Frankfurt School-UNEP Collaborating Centre and WWF Germany.
The event at the Elcano Royal Institute in Madrid was attended by Directors of sustainability of mayor financial institutions, senior government officials and national and international experts. Public and private sector stakeholders commended the analysis, accessible on the 3fp-Tracker website, for its quality and insights.
The presentation was followed by a debate on current trends of international sustainable finance in light of the EU taxonomy.

"One of the most important tools in the fight against climate change are countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions"- UNDP interview with Alexander Koch

The interview, published on 19 August 2019 on the UNDP Climate Change Adaptation Portal, explains how UNDP supports countries in accessing climate finance. As an expert supporting UNDP on climate finance, Alexander talks about the links between climate change and UNDP’s mandate to achieve zero poverty. The interview also gives examples of UNDP's support to countries' NDCs and on their importance in the fight against climate change.

GCF FUNDING PROPOSAL IN BENIN APPROVED

In February 2019, the GCF approved a USD 10 million grant for its first project in Benin under the simplified approval process. The objective of the project is to enhance climate resilience of 1.1 million beneficiaries in rural Benin through the implementation of ecosystem-based adaptation in forest and agricultural landscapes. To do so, it will restore degraded forest ecosystems, strengthen capacity of Government and communities and enhance agricultural productivity, thereby helping reduce pressure on natural forests. Natural Strategies’ Director Alexander Koch coordinated and helped structure the proposal. It will now move towards execution, implemented by UN Environment.

FORESTS TRANSFORMING URBAN LIVING

On 14 November 2018, Natural Strategies participated in the Biocities Forum 2018, which formed part of the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Organized by the European Forest Institute, the Forum facilitated an international science-policy-business dialogue on the potential of forests and the circular bioeconomy to build sustainable and resilient cities.

NINE COUNTRIES EXCHANGE BEST PRACTICES ON CLIMATE FINANCE

UN Environment, UNDP, FAO, GIZ, GCF, technical experts and national project managers from nine countries met in Berlin from 8 – 10 October 2018 to exchange experiences on GCF readiness, expand the impact of GCF-funding and empower locally driven climate actions.

The workshop was organized within the framework of the IKI- funded GCF Readiness Programme, a pioneering collaboration between the Government of Germany, UNDP, UN Environment and the World Resource Institute (WRI). The Programme supported nine countries in engaging with the Green Climate Fund to advance on their national climate change priorities.

Practitioners from Benin, Colombia, El Salvador, Fiji, Ghana, Kenya, Nepal, the Philippines and Uzbekistan gathered in Berlin to share lessons and experiences from the past three years of work under the Programme, along with the GCF Secretariat, Natural Strategies’ Director Alexander Koch and other technical experts and partners.

CLIMATE MARCH RAISES AWARENESS OF CITIZENS & DECISION MAKERS

Natural Strategies participated in the 2018 Barcelona Climate March, organized by the Moviment per la Justícia Climàtica (Movement for Climate Justice) in collaboration with more than 80 municipal groups. The aim of the march was to help place climate change at the forefront of the Spanish Government’s political agenda. It took place on 10 November 2018, three days before the C40 summit in Barcelona that saw city representatives from various countries meet to discuss our planet's changing climate. The campaign aimed at encouraging cities globally, which concentrate 70% of the world’s population, to take decisive action against climate change.

BURUNDI KICK-STARTS ITS GCF ENGAGEMENT

: On 21 June 2018 Burundi officially launched its Green Climate Fund (GCF) Readiness Programme. Supported by UNDP, the Programme aims at preparing the country to access the GCF. The GCF funding can be used to implement forest, agriculture and energy projects in Burundi that help mitigate and adapt to climate change. Alexander Koch supported the launch as a technical expert and shared best practices on GCF engagement from his experiences in other countries. The GCF aims to catalyze a flow of climate finance for low-emission and climate-resilient development, thereby driving a paradigm shift in the global response to climate change.