RE-Wild West

I started working on biodiversity as a way of recognising additional benefits from circular economy initiatives which often struggle to build a solid business case in the short term in comparison to the linear economy. Having a carbon price alone doesn't give true justice to the environmental benefits of reducing and recirculating resources, combining both provides better coverage. What I have come to see though is that we do not lack fundable projects or ambition, on the contrary. My reflections having now started to look into this space is it comes across as a Wild West with weak formal structures, frontier projects, expansion into the global south and the pros and cons connected to the entrepreneurial spirit. That is why I coined the term it's like the “Re-wild West”.

Lack of formal structures

It is a simple question to ask any potential recipient of funding, what is the return on investment? But asking this question to many organisations leads to a surprised look and depending on where on the ecologist scale between incredibly specific or intangibly vague all find it very hard to navigate and compare. Hectares, X planted, crop cover, species protected, CO2 sequestered the list could go on…significantly. Probably all good measures of improvement but impossible to compare against one another especially when you overlay the assessment of starting and end points multiplied by the rareness of the species (it could go on).

So what, maybe that lack of structure can mean you get a good deal or maybe not, but what it certainly does is slow down the investment needed into the area. The message I hear is that, unlike CO2 which we should act now and then offset later, we should be acting now on restoration and conservation. This will help to prepare the planet for an increasing amount of global CO2 in the coming year as we transition (cough) or at least maintain the remaining ancient and rare biodiversity we have.

If you can measure it you can manage it and here I believe we need to coalesce around a solution ASAP. It might not be perfect but let's not let that slow down or stop the redirection of wealth into this area and in the meantime look for a phase 2 that is more robust.  

Frontier projects

Recognising certain areas or species around the world which are high risk or degrading fast is great and we should shine a spotlight on but is there a difference between an African Elephant and Texas White Rice? Yes, of course, one is easily marketable and the other less so. There are probably other aspects which would drive cost but simple economics would suggest that organisations looking into restoration are going to pick flagship species/ecosystems as they are easier to get customer recognition for or support in the boardroom. This will drive higher prices for this restoration and the market will provide a plethora of projects with a branding premium from both NGOs and Private organisations. Fortunes will be made at the expense of Texas White Rice, Coral Tree and Wood’s Cycad.

Organisations coordinating restoration and frameworks guiding Governments, Finance and Businesses have an important role here to flag and signpost lesser-known / marketable biodiversity in need of action. Maybe this is where their marketing expertise should be focused for a little or put in the small print of the sexy projects that need a little lesser-known species kicker.

Expansion into the Global South

Like the pioneers in America we look to new land and areas of opportunity we do so here but with a focus below the equator. That similar land where will provide the resources for the green revolution put food on our plates, and deliver the new hardwood kitchen and the precious stones that still draw one's eye. While I entirely support sharing wealth from the rich to the source of the resources that have driven that wealth let's not be ignorant to “Giving with one hand and taking with the other.” This makes it all the more important that the projects scaled in the Southern Hemesphere are with organisations headquartered in the Southern Hemesphere support communities in the Southern Hemesphere and people in the Southern Hemesphere get back some of the wealth that was taken out of the Southern Hemesphere. Practically, those organisations are likely to be underrepresented at the Northern Hemisphere events, on the Northern Hemisphere platforms and able to meet and pitch in the Northern Hemisphere style. And when a decision is made on where an organisation will invest their money might it cross someone's mind that if the project was somewhat closer to the Northern Hemisphere customer base (which makes up a larger part of the next quarter's revenue) it might have a better return on investment.

If we are going to start reallocating wealth and profits drawn from extractive value chains we should put an equal focus on new ways of stimulating prosperity, wellbeing and utility without increasing resource consumption and its related impact.

Final Thoughts

We can no longer afford to treat environmental restoration and conservation as isolated projects. Our planet’s systems are interconnected, and our solutions must reflect this reality. To deliver meaningful results for the planet, we need to adopt a holistic, coordinated approach that focuses on systemic change rather than piecemeal interventions.

If we fail to integrate our efforts, we risk not only wasting precious time and resources but also exacerbating the very problems we are trying to solve. The planet can’t wait, and neither can we. It’s time to unite our fragmented efforts into a coherent, effective, and sustainable path forward. Only then can we hope to restore the Earth and build a future where both people and nature thrive.

 The views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of any organisation I am connected with.