True sustainability lies in biodiversity, the fundamental basis of environmental health and ecosystem resilience. Every species, every habitat, and every interaction between living beings plays a crucial role in maintaining this balance. After all, it is this biological diversity that provides us with indispensable resources and ensures the continuity of life on Earth.
Aiming for true sustainability, the jaguar emerges as an icon of biodiversity conservation in the heart of the Pantanal, becoming the emblematic species of Brazil's first biodiversity credits. In this 3rd blog post, we explore the pioneering project led by the Instituto Homem Pantaneiro (IHP), which, in partnership with ERA, Regen Network, and Okala, applies the Methodology for Biodiversity Stewardship to generate these pioneering credits.
This initiative combines science and innovation to address challenges such as illegal hunting, habitat loss, and human-wildlife conflict to preserve jaguar habitat, demonstrating how protecting a single species can benefit the entire ecosystem.
The First Pilot Project in Brazil
The Instituto Homem Pantaneiro (IHP) is a non-profit civil society organization dedicated to conserving the Brazilian Pantanal biome and promoting local sustainable development. For over 22 years, IHP has played a crucial role in conserving this unique region, considered the largest continental wetland on the planet and Natural World Heritage. Its activities include managing protected areas, developing scientific research, promoting dialogue among various stakeholders, and implementing innovative projects for biodiversity conservation.
Among these innovative projects is the pilot project for biodiversity credits, which aims promote conservation of the entire Pantanal ecosystem using jaguars as an umbrella species. The credits generated from Private Natural Heritage Reserves (RPPNs), managed by IHP, cover a significant area of over 50,000 hectares in the Pantanal. With this vast area, equivalent to 50,000 football fields, the project not only protects the Pantanal's biodiversity hotspot but also brings economic and social benefits to 57 local families.
The resources from the commercialization of biodiversity credits will be used to improve jaguar welfare and monitoring techniques, property management, research, environmental education, and ecotourism. The success of this initiative has the potential to catalyze the expansion of the project throughout the Amolar Network, IHP's largest program, covering a vast extension of 300,000 hectares of protected area in the Brazilian Pantanal biome, and to serve as a model for other regions in Brazil and worldwide.
The Jaguar as an Umbrella Species
The biodiversity stewardship project uses the Jaguar as its emblem because its protection encompasses the conservation of a wide variety of animal and plant species, known as the umbrella effect. In this project region, conservation activities taken to protect the jaguar also helps protect more than 10 threatened mammal species that are observed in region, including the giant anteater, the tapir, the collared peccary, and the giant armadillo; and three bird species, including the bare-faced curassow and the brown-backed parrotlet, a small parrot with a restricted distribution on the western edge of the Pantanal.
Jaguars face the threat of illegal hunting for various reasons, primarily in retaliation for damage caused by predation on livestock and domestic animals. Additionally, habitat loss and fragmentation, with the consequent reduction in the availability of natural prey, can exacerbate conflicts with rural producers. Another major, and perhaps the main threat today, is large forest fires.
The IHP use artificial intelligence to prevent fires, camera traps to monitor wildlife, and GPS telemetry collars to investigate the movement patterns and habitat use of jaguars, combined with geoprocessing tools, emphasizing our multifaceted approach to conservation.
Stacking Environmental Assets
Biodiversity credits, integrated with other Payments for Environmental Services (PES), emerge as a powerful solution to close the $700 billion/year nature-finance gap, indicated in a study done by the World Economic Forum. The integration of multiple environmental credits, known as "stacking," allows us to value and protect various aspects of ecosystems simultaneously.
Stacking different PES can potentially increase compensation payments for forest conservation by valuing a broader range of ecosystem services that protected areas offer. Credits provide an effective market-based mechanism to translate stewardship activities, right relationship, and resulting benefits into accountable units to direct funds. The reason these are advantageous is that we can define different units of account (carbon, biodiversity, etc...) for different activities / results which helps disambiguate where funds are actually going (i.e. stacking credits). We therefore create a system that encourages land stewards to maintain and improve the quality of natural habitats through the continuous implementation of interventions. This can lead to more holistic and integrated landscape management, promoting the conservation of species and ecosystems on a broader scale.
The synergy between biodiversity credits, carbon credits, and other ecosystem services is crucial for creating an economic model that not only protects but also sustainably values nature. This concept is exemplified by the first carbon credit project in the Pantanal, REDD+ Serra do Amolar, which is being carried out alongside the application of the Methodology for Biodiversity Stewardship Credits. This integration expands the available financial rewards to enhance biodiversity interventions and monitoring capacities of the jaguar, making conservation competitive when comparing the financial opportunity cost to other environmentally harmful land-use alternatives.
Since each biodiversity credit is priced based on the costs of implementing strategic conservation activities, it is essential that the costs of each PES be separated and transparently documented. This ensures traceability and clarity regarding actions and costs. Thus, when a property meets the conditions and participates in the voluntary carbon market, generating credits using the CCB (Climate, Community, and Biodiversity) label, and also integrates PES in biodiversity credit, it is necessary to separately disclose the activities, costs, and results of each PES scheme (e.g., carbon and biodiversity).
Thus, the integrated approach not only addresses the climate and biodiversity crises more holistically but also establishes a new paradigm where conserving nature becomes economically preferable to its destruction. It is a strategy that promotes conservation as a profitable and sustainable land-use decision, essential for reversing environmental degradation and ensuring the well-being of future generations.
Why Buy Our Credits?
We are at the forefront of the battle against biodiversity loss, paving the way for a conservation model that is both sustainable and replicable. Our methodology is adaptable to different species of mammals and birds in various biomes, highlighting its potential to revolutionize conservation efforts worldwide.
The partnership between IHP, ERA, Regen Network, and Okala in this pilot project sets a new standard for inclusive, transparent, and sustainable conservation in the Pantanal biome. Through the innovative use of biodiversity credits, this project not only protects the jaguar but also creates a framework that integrates different PES schemes, such as the voluntary carbon market, to maximize positive impacts on nature.
The credits generated by the project represent a direct initiative of positive impact for the planet and a real way to engage in the conservation of a World Heritage Natural Site and the umbrella species, the jaguar. Together, we are leading a profoundly innovative approach to expanding conservation funding!
Call to Action
The launch of Brazil's first biodiversity credits took place on June 18, 2024, at the AYA Hub in Sao Paulo and successfully sold over $30,000 in credits. Companies that are mapping their nature dependencies and nature risks can purchase our credits to support their ESG strategies. Companies wishing to launch a new marketing campaign can purchase our Biodiversity credits and apply a Nature-Positive label to their products.
To learn more, visit: https://buy.stripe.com/00gdUCdae2Racqk147
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