Bertarelli Summer2024 FINAL - Flipbook - Page 47
S O MPH O B BO O NL A I M / S H UT TER STO CK
We spoke to Martin Schaefer, who is the director
of the Fundacíon Jocotoco, a regional conservation
organization based in Ecuador whose work focuses on
the Galapagos Islands, and John Verdun, a professor
from Duke University who studies marine conservation policy and tropical fisheries. They sat down to talk
about some new and exciting strategies to help pay for
the hard work of conservation.
Among these methods are biodiversity credit systems—not to be confused with carbon credits, which
companies can buy to offset their carbon footprint—
which are essentially financial assets that enable companies to invest directly in biodiversity projects around
the world. There are also venture capital funds dedicated to conservation investments. But ultimately,
without ordinary people—consumers—holding companies to account, these efforts could still falter.
Let’s begin with biodiversity credits. Can you explain
what biodiversity credits are, how they work, and why
they could be a game changer for conservation?
Martin Schaefer: Biodiversity credits are a kind
of financial mechanism for companies to invest in
restoring ecosystems. They can also help measure
the percentage change in biodiversity you see in any
given area and track how well a conservation strategy
has worked by economically quantifying the impact.
They’re different to carbon credits, because they are
less to do with avoiding emitting carbon or offsetting
carbon emissions, and instead are to do with contributing to the conservation or restoration of ecosystems, whether those ecosystems are in Miami or
the Galapagos. To help us quantify our conservation
outcomes, we use an academic peer-review system to
instill trust.
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