“Regenerative business models integrate the needs of society with the integrity of nature. They ensure that the natural sources of value on which society depends are renewed and increased, rather than depleted or maintained.”
A regenerative human culture is healthy, resilient and adaptable. It cares for the planet as this is the most effective way to create a thriving future for all of us. Morten has in the past decade been focused on mobilising finance, business skills and market access to the right entrepreneurs (often indigenous communities) across the tropical belt. These entrepreneurs have created economic value of protecting and restoring the most rich and threatened ecosystems we have on the planet and thereby integrate economic, social and environmental development.
Morten has led teams working in the basins of the Amazon, Congo and Indonesia as well as many other important ecosystems on land or in the ocean across the tropical belt supporting around 150 companies or institutions.
One example is in the western part of the Congo Basin, a community forest association on the border of the Dja Faunal Reserve – which is home to elephants, hippos and gorillas. Morten has seen cocoa production in West Africa, South-East Asia and Latin America, which often degenerates and destroys nature, but this location is different. The local communities include the Ba’aka people have used their knowledge of this is old-growth forest to intercrop cocoa and other agroforestry products as an economic buffer to the national park. This early stage of a regenerative business model however still needs more work in particular on improving the social development, and without further support for example from climate finance this amazing culture and landscape will not thrive.
Another interesting example is the ARSX, which is a network of indigenous seed collectors from Xingu stretching both the Brazilian Amazon forest and the Cerrado biomes. ARSX develops restoration products in particular to Brazilian agriculture corporates in order to comply with the forest regulation. They use a climate neutralisation approach that is called Muvuca, where recipes often consisting of more than 50 different native seeds have carefully been selected in order to regenerate forests in the specific location, where restoration is needed. This nature-based solution is a cheaper, more effective and yields greater social impact than other restoration techniques.
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Unprecedented private sector finance deal to generate over $2bn to protect threatened forests, wildlife, and improve community livelihoods
Hartree Partners, Vertree founding partner, and Wildlife Works sign landmark voluntary carbon market deal Over 20 new high-impact projects will…
- Hartree Partners, Vertree founding partner, and Wildlife Works sign landmark voluntary carbon market deal
- Over 20 new high-impact projects will be implemented in collaboration with forest communities to protect threatened landscapes in Africa, Asia, and Latin America
- Project portfolio to generate 20 million tonnes of Verified Emission Reductions (VERs) each year for the 30-year life of the projects
Hartree Partners and Wildlife Works announce a ground-breaking deal that will generate over $2bn of private sector investment to enable communities to protect biodiversity and forests at risk from deforestation.
13 million hectares of tropical forest, an area the size of Greece, is currently lost to deforestation every year. But, to keep the increase in global temperature below 1.5 degrees in line with the Paris Agreement, more than three quarters of deforestation must be stopped by 2030. Thousands of companies are addressing the climate emergency and, with voluntary carbon markets playing an increasingly prominent role, the demand for Verified Emissions Reductions (VERs) is forecast to outstrip supply.
Hartree Partners, a leading global energy and commodities trading company, and Wildlife Works, an innovative global conservation company, will help meet this surging demand by partnering to invest, develop, manage and market one of the world’s largest portfolios of avoided deforestation projects. Hartree’s investment is effective immediately, with the projects expected to begin delivering VERs by 2023.
The deal, which will increase the availability of high-quality, verified, avoided deforestation projects by approximately 40%, will reduce emissions from deforestation by 20 million tonnes each year and 600 million tonnes over the 30-year life of the projects – equivalent to taking 4.3 million cars off the road.
The partnership will develop more than 20 high-impact projects in collaboration with local communities to improve livelihoods while preserving and protecting forests and wildlife.
The ground-breaking deal was facilitated by Everland, the exclusive marketing partner of Wildlife Works. The portfolio will be marketed by Everland and Vertree.
Ariel Perez, Partner at Hartree Partners, said:
“The scientific community agrees that the world cannot keep the increase in global temperature below 1.5 degrees without significant support from global businesses. Hartree Partners is proud to be providing substantial long-term investment in nature-based solutions through this partnership.
“We’re delighted to be working with such experienced partners as Wildlife Works to ensure that these projects reduce emissions, protect highly threatened species, and enhance the wellbeing of thousands of people in these forest communities who hold the key to stopping deforestation.”
Mike Korchinsky, Founder and CEO of Wildlife Works, said:
“While those in the Global North continue to debate what they want from climate action, our partners in the Global South urgently need just and effective solutions now.
“With Hartree Partners’ financial backing and carbon market expertise, we can implement our just and inclusive climate, community, and biodiversity solutions in many more forest communities where they’re desperately needed.”
Wildlife Works’ proven approach addresses the drivers of deforestation in last-chance ecosystems while rewarding communities for protecting forests and biodiversity.
The portfolio of projects announced today will meet global best practice standards for nested projects under VERRA, including: the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS); the Climate, Community and Biodiversity (CCB) standard at the gold level; and the SD Vista standard to verify project contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and can make a significant contribution to host country Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) under the Paris Agreement.
Gerald Prolman, CEO of Everland, said:
“Hartree’s financial commitment to Wildlife Works will help give forest governments, landowners, and communities long-term financial confidence as they consider valuing their standing forests under REDD+. The VERs will be offered to businesses as an essential tool they can use as part of their transition plan towards a low-carbon future.
“It is our hope that this partnership’s bold commitment to rapidly scale REDD+ projects will inspire more private sector action at the critical speed and magnitude that is so desperately needed.”
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