Valuing Nature

Valuing Nature PDF

Author: William Ginn

Publisher: Island Press

Published: 2020-05-21

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 1642830917

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As the world faces unprecedented challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss, the resources needed far outstrip the capabilities of nonprofits and even governments. Yet there are seeds of hope—and much of that hope comes from the efforts of the private sector. Impact investing is rapidly becoming an essential tool, alongside philanthropy and government funding, in tackling these major problems. Valuing Nature presents a new set of nature-based investment areas to help conservationists and investors work together. NatureVest founder William Ginn outlines the emerging private sector investing opportunities in natural assets such as green infrastructure, forests, soils, and fisheries. The first part of Valuing Nature examines the scope of nature-based impact investing while also presenting a practical overview of its limitations and the challenges facing the private sector. The second part of the book offers tools for investors and organizations to consider as they develop their own projects and tips on how nonprofits can successfully navigate this new space. Case studies from around the world demonstrate how we can use private capital to achieve more sustainable uses of our natural resources without the unintended consequences plaguing so many of our current efforts. Valuing Nature provides a roadmap for conservation professionals, nonprofit managers, and impact investors seeking to use market-based strategies to improve the management of natural systems.

Investing in Biological Diversity

Investing in Biological Diversity PDF

Author: Janet N. Abramovitz

Publisher:

Published: 1991

Total Pages: 108

ISBN-13:

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Introduction; Methods; Results; Conclusions; Questionnaire and categories used to classify biological diversity research and conservation activities; U.S. biodiversity investments per 100 hectares, 1989; 1989 Biological diversity research and conservation activities and implementors by region and country.

Nature's Fortune

Nature's Fortune PDF

Author: Mark Tercek

Publisher: Basic Books (AZ)

Published: 2013-04-09

Total Pages: 274

ISBN-13: 0465031811

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The CEO of the Nature Conservancy and the author of The Future of the Wild demonstrate how profitable business can coexist with environmentalism, explaining the economic importance of responsible natural resource stewardship while sharing guidelines for corporate decision-making that is both economically and environmentally sound.

Learning from agri-environment schemes in Australia

Learning from agri-environment schemes in Australia PDF

Author: Dean Ansell

Publisher: ANU Press

Published: 2016-05-10

Total Pages: 339

ISBN-13: 1760460168

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Learning from agri-environment schemes in Australia is a book about the birds and the beef — more specifically it is about the billions of dollars that governments pay farmers around the world each year to protect and restore biodiversity. After more than two decades of these schemes in Australia, what have we learnt? Are we getting the most out of these investments, and how should we do things differently in the future? Involving contributions from ecologists, economists, social scientists, restoration practitioners and policymakers, this book provides short, engaging chapters that cover a wide spectrum of environmental, agricultural and social issues involved in agri-environment schemes.

Investing in Nature

Investing in Nature PDF

Author: William Ginn

Publisher: Island Press

Published: 2013-04-10

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13: 1597267678

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In 2004, U.S. consumers spent $5.2 billion purchasing bottled water while the government only invested 5 percent of that amount to purchase critical watersheds, parks, and wildlife refuges-systems vital to clean water and healthy environments. How can we reverse the direction of such powerful economic forces? A group of dedicated business-people-turned-environmental-entrepreneurs is pioneering a new set of tools for land conservation deals and other market-based strategies. These pragmatic visionaries have already used these methods to protect millions of acres of land and to transform the practices of entire industries. They are transforming the very nature of conservation by making it profitable. Drawing on his vast experience in both business and land conservation at The Nature Conservancy (TNC), William Ginn offers a practical guide to these innovative methods and a road map to the most effective way to implement them. From conservation investment banking, to emerging markets for nature's goods and services, to new tax incentives that encourage companies to do the "right" thing, Ginn goes beyond the theories to present real-world applications and strategies. And, just as importantly, he looks at the lessons learned from what has not worked, including his own failed efforts in Papua New Guinea and TNC's controversial compatible development approach in Virginia. In an era of dwindling public resources and scarce charitable dollars, these tools reveal a new, and perhaps the only, pathway to achieving biodiversity goals and protecting our lands. Conservation professionals, students of land conservation, and entrepreneurs interested in green business will find Ginn's tales of high-finance deals involving vast tracts of pristine land both informative and exciting. More than just talk, Investing in Nature will teach you how to think big about land conservation.

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity in National and International Policy Making

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity in National and International Policy Making PDF

Author: Patrick ten Brink

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2012-09-10

Total Pages: 530

ISBN-13: 1136538720

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The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) study is a major international initiative drawing attention to local, national and global economic benefits of biodiversity, to highlight the growing costs of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, the benefits of investing in natural capital, and to draw together expertise from the fields of science, economics and policy to enable practical actions. Drawing on a team of more than one hundred authors and reviewers, this book demonstrates the value of ecosystems and biodiversity to the economy, society and individuals. It underlines the urgency of strategic policy making and action at national and international levels, and presents a rich evidence base of policies and instruments in use around the world and a wide range of innovative solutions. It highlights the need for new public policy to reflect the appreciation that public goods and social benefits are often overlooked and that we need a transition to decision making which integrates the many values of nature across policy sectors. It explores the range of instruments to reward those offering ecosystem service benefits, such as water provision and climate regulation. It looks at fiscal and regulatory instruments to reduce the incentives of those running down our natural capital, and at reforming subsidies such that they respond to current and future priorities. The authors also consider two major areas of investment in natural capital - protected areas and investment in restoration. Overall the book underlines the needs and ways to transform our approach to natural capital, and demonstrates how we can practically take into account the value of ecosystems and biodiversity in policy decisions - at national and international levels - to promote the protection of our environment and contribute to a sustainable economy and to the wellbeing of societies.

Investing in Biodiversity

Investing in Biodiversity PDF

Author: Michael Wells

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 1999-01-01

Total Pages: 136

ISBN-13: 9780821344194

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"Indonesia is one of the two most biologically diverse nations on earth. The country's thousands of islands include 10 percent of the world's known plant species, 12 percent of its mammals, 16 percent of reptiles and amphibians, 17 percent of birds, and 25 percent of fish." In a country where conservation awareness or support for nature conservation and Protected Areas (PAs) is lacking throughout the society, efforts to promote ICDPs (Integrated Conservation and Development Projects) will work only if the Government of Indonesia and provincial governments first demonstrate a strong commitment to protecting conservation areas and their surroundings. Current ICDP components, based on simplistic ideas of making limited short-term investments in local development and hoping this will somehow translate into sustainable resource use and less pressure on PAs, need to be abandoned. The objectives of this study are: 1. to consider the ICDPs' overall contribution to conserving Indonesia's biodiversity; 2. to assess their cost-effectiveness, sustainability, and replicability; and 3. to identify lessons for future conservation efforts. This study emphasized the use of qualitative information, supplemented by limited quantitative analysis from case studies, interviews, and an extensive review of project documentation (mainly plans, progress reports, and evaluations).

Nature of Investing

Nature of Investing PDF

Author: Katherine Collins

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-10-21

Total Pages: 103

ISBN-13: 1351861085

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We are all investors. We invest our time, our energy, our money. We invest every single day, as citizens, as consumers, as businesspeople. At its core, investing involves connection, exchange, and mutual benefit. Lately, however, the primary, beneficial function of investing has been overshadowed by ever-more mechanized iterations of finance. We have created funds of funds, securitizations of securitizations, and entire firms whose business is based on harvesting the advantage of microseconds of trading speed. The Nature of Investing calls for a transformation of the investment process from the roots up. Drawing on the author's twenty-plus years of leadership experience in top investment firms, the book connects real-world finance with the field of biomimicry. Citing real-life examples and discussing principles from the natural world, The Nature of Investing shows how we can create an investment framework that is different from the mechanized one currently employed. Readers will discover an approach that re-aligns investing with the world it was originally meant to serve. An approach that values resiliency over rigidity and elegant simplicity over synthetic complexity. This is the true nature of investing.

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity: Ecological and Economic Foundations

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity: Ecological and Economic Foundations PDF

Author: Pushpam Kumar

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2012-12-20

Total Pages: 454

ISBN-13: 1136538801

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Human well-being relies critically on ecosystem services provided by nature. Examples include water and air quality regulation, nutrient cycling and decomposition, plant pollination and flood control, all of which are dependent on biodiversity. They are predominantly public goods with limited or no markets and do not command any price in the conventional economic system, so their loss is often not detected and continues unaddressed and unabated. This in turn not only impacts human well-being, but also seriously undermines the sustainability of the economic system. It is against this background that TEEB: The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity project was set up in 2007 and led by the United Nations Environment Programme to provide a comprehensive global assessment of economic aspects of these issues. This book, written by a team of international experts, represents the scientific state of the art, providing a comprehensive assessment of the fundamental ecological and economic principles of measuring and valuing ecosystem services and biodiversity, and showing how these can be mainstreamed into public policies. This volume and subsequent TEEB outputs will provide the authoritative knowledge and guidance to drive forward the biodiversity conservation agenda for the next decade.

Portfolio for the Planet

Portfolio for the Planet PDF

Author: Tammy E. Newmark

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-07-03

Total Pages: 155

ISBN-13: 1136498109

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Rapid growth of the global economy has accelerated the degradation of the Earth’s most important asset: the environment. Increasing poverty and challenges arising from climate change further threaten the planet’s natural systems. With a rising global population, the demand on natural resources to cover even basic human needs is intensifying – supporting businesses that promote the sustainable use of natural resources and help ensure their long-term viability is imperative. As part of a pioneering movement to harness business towards effecting environmental change, The Nature Conservancy launched EcoEnterprises Fund in 2000 to provide investment capital to grow small "eco"-businesses in Latin America. There is a compelling need for financing this niche. Companies of this size truly drive change – creating the engine for economic activity and generating livelihoods for bottom of the pyramid rural peoples which brings about positive social and conservation impacts. EcoEnterprises Fund’s portfolio highlights twenty-three cutting-edge companies, in expanding sectors such as organic agriculture, ecotourism, sustainable forestry, and non-timber forest products which include innovative industry first-movers—from organic shrimp to biodynamic flowers, and ready-to-drink smoothies made from the latest Amazonian berry. With a successful ten-year track record, EcoEnterprises Fund has valuable learning to share – from what pitfalls to avoid when structuring investments to what types of assistance entrepreneurs in these emerging environmental sectors need most. Portfolio for the Planet translates a decade of experience into accessible lessons for both veterans and newcomers in the field: for those interested in investing in sustainable businesses, discovering novel approaches to environmental conservation, or seeing entrepreneurs pursue their dreams.