Welcome to Wildlife Works' monthly newsletter; Reasons for Wild Hope. This month, we're excited to share inspiring conservation stories from around the world, our team's presence at Climate Week NYC, a roundup of top Wildlife Works stories from last month, and key updates from the voluntary carbon market.
This past month saw some of the devastating impacts of climate change: intensified drought conditions and man-made fires led to an area the size of Italy burning in the Amazon, and hurricane Helene, intensified by warmer waters in the Gulf of Mexico, has had unprecedented effects on inland states, killing over 100 people and causing an estimated economic loss of $160 billion.
“We have already changed the climate,” emphasizes Marine Biologist and author Ayana Johnson, “but there’s still so much we can do. We have the solutions we need, we’re just being slow at scaling them.” In her new book What If We Get It Right? Ayana Johnson urges us to imagine the endless possibilities in a future where climate solutions win. “Our future is not yet written. How do we reimagine how we live on this planet with 8 million other species and with each other? What if we act as if we love the future?”
To collectively imagine a better future, we must take note of what's going right and the positive strides being made in conservation and climate action. Some reasons for wild hope from this past month are: after nearly 40 years of being considered extinct in the wild, Guam kingfishers have once again taken flight and in the Caribbean, lab-grown corals have successfully resisted bleaching during the region's worst marine heat wave. In Mongabay, an argument for community-led conservation takes the spotlight as Resson Kentai Duff emphasizes, “In a world where natural climate solutions can provide 30% of needed global carbon reductions, we ask that [investors at Climate Week NYC] don’t just look for shiny, new and innovative ideas, but instead take a good hard look at the solutions that are already working and that just need more support and funding to help them grow and thrive.”
Among these effective, community-led conservation initiatives, REDD+ projects stand out as a prime example of solutions that are making a tangible difference. Below, read about how Wildlife Works REDD+ projects are helping to monitor endangered species and bring about generational transformations for local communities.
MONITORING BIODIVERSITY IN COLOMBIA
“Involving communities in biodiversity monitoring broadens our vision of nature and allows us to understand that we can relate to it in a different, more binding, responsible, respectful and harmonious way,” says Camila Solano, Wildlife Works Coordinator of Conservation and Biodiversity Impact Assessments.
Read Camila’s blog to learn more about how Indigenous knowledge and western science are joining forces in the Amazon.
COMMUNITY MEMBER ACHIEVES DREAM OF BECOMING A CONSERVATION PILOT
Simon Kipsang, a team member at the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project, recently achieved his dream of becoming a gyrocopter conservation pilot. Having initially joined the team as a ranger in 2010, Kipsang expressed interest in becoming a pilot, and the management team wholeheartedly supported his ambition. Simon’s story is an example of the transformative power that REDD+ projects can have in community member’s lives. Watch Simon’s inspiring first independent flight in this short film.
WILDLIFE WORKS ON KBC NEWS
Wildlife Works Climate Policy Analyst Olivia Adhiambo and Community Leader John Mwakima spoke on Kenya’s KBC television's News Check to delve into the importance of carbon credits to local communities. John reflected on his personal interactions with local teachers, who would not have been able to complete their own educations and be where they are today if it were not for the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ project. As of 2022, communities have used carbon revenue to renovate 36 schools , build 10 new schools, and award over 1.6 million USD for 30,000 scholarships.
EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT
Our global conservation work would not be possible without the dedication, expertise, and passion of our team members. Each month, get to know our team members and what they do through our Employee Spotlight Series.
In this month's spotlight meet George Thumbi, Head of Agribusiness and Forestry at the the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project. "Working daily at the Kasigau REDD+ project for over ten years, I have the advantage of seeing, experiencing and thinking deeply about things happening there. Understandably people who don't have such an advantage could be skeptical. I’d encourage them to visit the well established REDD+ projects, Kasigau being such, and witness for themselves the benefits of the project and while on the ground imagine if the project didn’t exist.”
Click below to learn more about George and his insights into the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project.
KEY VOLUNTARY CARBON MARKET UPDATES
The voluntary carbon market (VCM) continues to evolve, with recent developments highlighting both challenges and promising developments for REDD+ projects and their stakeholders.
In a significant turn of events, Verra lifted the hold on Wildlife Alliance's Southern Cardamoms REDD+ Project last month. Wildlife Alliance responded with a statement emphasizing their commitment to continuous improvement. However, the impact of the suspension was substantial. In this CarbonPulse article, Everland CEO Josh Tosteson explained how Verra's "presumption of guilt" and 14-month long investigation resulted in a loss of over $30 million in revenue for the project.
Despite such setbacks, support for REDD+ projects remains strong. In a QCI Op-Ed, Mandy Rambharos, the new CEO of Verra, argued that REDD+ projects are the highest-integrity natural climate solution available. She emphasized, "In the global battle against climate change, we are equipped with numerous tools, but none offer the immediacy and broad impact of the VCM."
At a Climate Week NYC event, Wildlife Works Founder Mike Korchinsky spoke about the need for a new forest carbon standard specifically focused on equity for communities in the Global South. This led to the creation of Equitable Earth, which aims to engage more effectively with the hundreds of millions of people who are a key part of the solution to climate change.
Overall, the call for equity and recognition of the positive power of the voluntary carbon markets is growing louder. In a powerful new letter from global south leaders, the FUNDACIÓN AGRO IMPULSO released a statement supporting carbon markets and urging the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to recognize offsets as a key tool to mitigate Scope 3 emissions. This support is crucial for channeling much-needed funding to communities on the front lines of climate change in the Global South.
Governments are also taking notice of the potential of carbon markets. In Indonesia, President-elect Prabowo Subianto plans to launch a green economy fund by selling carbon credits from projects, aiming to raise $65 billion by 2028. Meanwhile, Kenya is set to become the first African nation to build a REDD+ project registry. According to Carbon Herald, this registry will facilitate easier monitoring of National Determined Contributions and help avoid double counting of credits, thereby boosting confidence in carbon markets.
As the market evolves, so do the guidelines for ensuring fair and transparent delivery of carbon finance. This past month, the Peoples Forests Partnership contributed to a new paper, "Co-Benefits to Core-Benefits: How to Ensure Carbon Finance is Fairly and Transparently Delivered." This guide aims to help buyers, developers, and community organizations ensure that carbon finance delivers its intended benefits to Indigenous peoples and local communities on the frontlines of nature stewardship and the climate crisis.
These developments underscore the ongoing importance of REDD+ projects in the fight against climate change, while also highlighting the need for continuous improvement in equity, transparency, and effectiveness in the voluntary carbon market.
WILDLIFE WORKS AT CLIMATE WEEK NYC
Wildlife Works DRC Country Director Dr. JR Bankanza spoke about the importance of conserving forests in front of thousands of people at the Global Citizen Festival
Mike Korchinsky, Founder and President of Wildlife Works spoke at a Climate Week NYC event hosted by Chloris Geospatial
Equitable Earth, which Wildlife Works is a founding coalition member of, hosted an exclusive screening of the award-winning documentary We Are Guardians.
