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Introducing Brightwater, a Company Scaling Nature-Based Solutions, Protecting Marine Ecosystems and Engaging Coastal Communities in Sustainable Conservation Practices — MediaContacts.co — Brightwater helps #clients go #beyond #Net #Zero #goals through #climate #impact #investments that #balance #financial #returns with #environmental and #social returns. CHICAGO, May #2 #2024 #Today marks the #official #launch of Brightwater, a #company that originates and customizes climate-impact investments to enhance the #health of #coastal ecosystems and bolster the economies of coastal communities. By harnessing the #power of nature-positive #investing and #biodiversity #conservation Brightwater will help its individual, corporate, and institutional investment clients generate attractive financial, environmental, and social returns. Brightwater offers a suite of services tailored to protect, restore, and scale coastal nature-based solutions. Impact solutions include three models: acquiring coastal land and placing it in conservancy with carbon absorption and restoration opportunities; long-term, high-quality, blue carbon and biodiversity credit partnerships; and legacy conservation projects. All Brightwater models are structured to meet their client's unique objectives, and all of their projects include close coordination with local communities to ensure long-term sustainability. "Nature-based investments around the globe have doubled in the past year, and enterprises that lead the charge in pioneering 'nature-positive' investments will not only generate global, climate impact value, but will also experience positive economic, social, and environmental returns." Jessie Stenftenagel, a marine biologist and CEO of Brightwater, brings over 30 years of expertise and commitment to global marine conservation. Her team of experienced professionals in global real estate, finance, impact investment, and environmental consulting are poised to connect corporations and private entities with unique nature-based investment opportunities. "At Brightwater, we leverage our expertise to identify and design large-scale, high-integrity projects with impactful and lasting benefits for people and the planet," said Stenftenagel. "Nature-based investments around the globe have doubled in the past year, and enterprises that lead the charge in pioneering 'nature-positive' investments will not only generate global, climate impact value, but will also experience positive economic, social, and environmental returns." Over 50% of the world's Gross Domestic Product

Our once abundant and resilient environment is now often described as “poor and deteriorating.” The state of Australia’s ecosystems – both unique and fragile – demands a renewed focus on repair and restoration. Enter the Nature Repair Market: a path to restoring and protecting the Australian landscape. In our most recent blog post, we break down: 👀 Key takeaways of this government-led initiative; 🌿 How it affects individuals, landholders and organisations; 💭 Our thoughts on it. Written by Lauren Purcell, Head of Marketing, Communications & Engagement at Carbon Positive Australia. #NatureRepairMarket #Biodiversity #Sustainability #ClimateAction #EnvironmentalRestoration #LandRestoration #RegenerativeLandscapes #CarbonPositive #NatureBasedSolutions

Conservation Finance In a global push for sustainable development, conservation finance emerges as a pivotal tool driving positive environmental impact while delivering financial returns. This innovative approach aligns economic incentives with conservation goals, fostering a win-win scenario for investors and biodiversity. From green bonds to impact investments, the landscape of conservation finance is rapidly evolving. Investors increasingly recognize the value of preserving ecosystems not only for their intrinsic worth but also for the ecosystem services they provide, such as clean air, water, and climate regulation. Moreover, conservation finance models leverage partnerships between public and private sectors, catalyzing scalable solutions to environmental challenges. Whether funding reforestation projects or supporting sustainable agriculture initiatives, these investments generate tangible benefits for both nature and society. As businesses integrate environmental sustainability into their core strategies, conservation finance plays a crucial role in driving systemic change. By channeling capital towards conservation efforts, organizations can simultaneously advance their financial objectives and contribute to the preservation of our planet's natural heritage. #SustainableInvesting 🌱 #ImpactFinance 💼 #FrameOutlookConservation #SustainableFinance #GreenInvesting #NatureWealth #ImpactfulFinance #ConservationReturns #EcoInvestments #BiodiversityFinance #PlanetPositiveInvesting #GreenEconomy #FrameOutlook

Freshwater Restoration Global Up-Scaling! The Freshwater Challenge Initiative. Launched by the governments of Colombia, DR Congo, Ecuador, Gabon, Mexico, and Zambia, this initiative aims to restore a staggering 300,000 km of rivers and 350 million hectares of wetlands by 2030. 38 countries and leading environmental organizations such as WWF, IUCN, UNEP, The Nature Conservancy are coming together to address the critical challenges of water scarcity, climate change, and biodiversity loss through concerted, large-scale action. The challenge promotes a collaborative approach, involving governments, non-governmental organizations, private sectors, indigenous communities, and local stakeholders. Funding: To support the vast scale of the needed restoration efforts the Initiative aim at setting up a financial mechanisms. Private sector involvement and international funding are seen as pivotal to meeting the challenge’s financial requirements. Methodology: The frameworks emphasize the use of scientific research and data to guide restoration activities. This approach ensures that efforts are directed towards the most degraded and strategically important areas, and that methods used are effective and sustainable. To track progress and refine strategies, the initiative plans regular reviews and updates. This includes setting up a global tracker to monitor contributions towards the global goals and ensuring that projects align with the agreed methodologies and standards. Let us cover the whole Earth with restoration initiatives and bring back Earth's Vital Signs! #NatureRestoration #Regeneration #NatureBasedSolutions #FreshwaterChallenge #WaterConservation #SustainableDevelopment #ClimateAction #GlobalPartnership

Forest Trends’ 2024 Impact Report is out! https://lnkd.in/g-j5uM4C The title of our report this year is a “Rainbow of Solutions” – inspired by our reflections on climate-resilient infrastructure from this year’s World Water Forum. At that Forum we saw wide recognition of the need for a full range of solutions – from built infrastructure and advanced technology to natural infrastructure like wetlands and forests – to build resilience in the face of the water crisis, now superpowered by climate change. In the same way, we need a diverse set of solutions to ensure that nature is more valued by our economy and society when it’s thriving than when it’s destroyed. That’s what Forest Trends is all about. You’ll find a lot of great stories in this report from across our programs. In particular I’m excited to highlight what we’ve achieved on water, especially through our Natural Infrastructure for Water Security project in Peru, which is a partnership with USAID & Canada and implemented with our partners CONDESAN, SPDA, Imperial College London, and Descosur: ➡️ We’ve now mobilized USD 39 million in new investments for natural infrastructure for water security in Peru. The full portfolio of investments we’re supporting is valued at over USD 370 million, all of which are funded and managed by subnational governments, national government agencies, water utilities, and the private sector. ➡️ The first investment we mobilized was the first project implemented as part of a new tariff for watershed services set by Lima’s water utility SEDAPAL. This year, we showed how that project is having real impact on nature and water. The project aimed to restore high-Andean peatlands, and it is already showing improved vegetation and natural regeneration, as well as a recovery in groundwater levels. ➡️ We supported Peru’s National Water Authority to approve a new protocol that will increase water rights allocations to women. The protocol stipulates that if the water rightsholders are married or cohabitating, the license for water rights must be granted to both people. Before the protocol, only 3 in 10 water user rights were allocated to women. Accessing these rights will create more economic and decision-making opportunities for women, like at water user rights groups. On the side of the Global Water Initiative, we’re taking the tools, strategies, and lessons developed in Peru to other places around the world to accelerate and scale investment in nature-based solutions. Our team looks forward to collaborating on that with you next year and sharing more on impacts on that front. In the meantime, I hope you check out the full Impact Report and have a wonderful holiday season with your loved ones! Mia Smith Fernando MOMIY HADA Fernando León Morales Director Cesarina Quintana Garcia de Paredes Genevieve Bennett Verena Manolis Doris Mejia

It's been an exciting week with the formal launch of the River Ching Action Plan. The River Ching originates as a small stream in Epping Forest. The new collaborative action plan sets out projects to boost wildlife & water quality as is the case with all north London rivers, the watercourse suffers from its heavily modified nature and is adversely affected due to household misconnections, sewage pollution, and road run-off. To address these complex issues, the Ching Action Plan has been produced by the Environment Agency in partnership with the London Borough of Waltham Forest, Ching Action Group, City of London Corporation (Epping Forest), and the London Lea Catchment Partnership, hosted by Thames21. Proposals include river channel restoration, tackling pollution from surface water outfalls, fish passes, pollution screens, installation of river telemetry and wildlife habitat improvement schemes. Thanks to Lewis Elmes Rebecca Turnpenney for the brilliant coordination and getting the Action Plan off the ground. The projects will be seeking funding and volunteers. Ben Murphy jacqueline eggleston Yvette Woodhouse Thomas Boughton Joseph Smith Dr Sally Gadsdon Alex Toledo

"Given the need to scale private sector contributions to nature, there is a need to complement the existing suite of incentives structures and detailed metrics with more cost-effective and widely accessible options. Current frameworks demand a high standard that is resource- and time-intensive, creating a barrier for companies to engage and make credible contributions to nature conservation and restoration. (...) Additionally, as companies focus on incremental improvements within their own supply chains, broader collective needs and opportunities for addressing nature may be overlooked. (...) Tracking and publishing corporate contributions to nature conservation and restoration using a simplified metric would create a broad incentive for companies to initiate and expand their positive impacts on nature. For example, a framework based on hectares, a metric that can be easily and transparently independently verified through current satellite imagery, could serve as a foundational metric to create incentives and evaluate progress at a high level, while more comprehensive impact assessments are gradually implemented or as an ongoing incentive for parties lacking the significant capacity and resources required by existing incentive structures." https://lnkd.in/e5prVDf6

Biodiversity protection and restoration has become an important part of infrastructure development around the world, as demonstrated by these global projects from Canadian builders including WSP in Canada, Entuitive, Stantec, and AtkinsRéalis. As we grow the volume of our built assets, there is a need to take environmental considerations in hand, including carbon sequestration and emissions reduction.

What role could the private sector play in the restoration of our coastal and marine environments? Historically, the cost of marine and coastal conservation has been looked after by taxpayers, rate payers or community groups. However, as we face ongoing environmental degradation coupled with a changing climate and a biodiversity crisis, there is a need for different funding pathways. Thanks to our collaboration with EnviroStrat, we’ve released research into supporting business and restorative activities that are environmentally sustainable, align with community and iwi needs, and can create a return 🔽 https://lnkd.in/g66mivfs

The Role of Reforestation in Sustainable Development Reforestation plays a pivotal role in sustainable development, acting as a cornerstone for ecological restoration, economic growth, and community resilience. In a world increasingly threatened by cl