by Sarah Carr, Ph.D. | Feb 10, 2026 | Uncategorized, Upcoming Webinars, Webinars
Wednesday, April 8, 1 pm US EDT/10 am US PDT/5 pm UTC/6 pm BST. Presented by: Angela Fletcher and Glen Delaney of Earth Economics. Description: Marine and coastal ecosystems provide many ecosystem services that are essential to human communities, including food, recreational opportunities, and protection of infrastructure from natural disasters. These benefits are not often framed in economic terms, which can lead to them being overlooked in decision-making. Communicating ecosystem services in economic terms can support more holistic decision-making that accounts for the full range of benefits these systems provide. In this webinar, Angela Fletcher and Glen Delaney of Earth Economics will introduce the fundamentals of ecosystem service valuation and demonstrate how they have applied these methods in marine and coastal contexts. Earth Economics is a nonprofit economic consultancy with 26 years of experience applying valuation techniques in decision-making, policy, and project implementation. They will begin with a brief overview of ecosystem services and valuation basics, then walk through three real-world case studies that illustrate how valuation can inform conservation, restoration, and policy decisions: a valuation study of kelp forests along the California coast; the use of valuation to inform a National Marine Sanctuary application for the St. George Unangan Heritage site; and how valuation can support funding for salmon habitat restoration in the Duckabush Estuary in Washington State.
by Sarah Carr, Ph.D. | Feb 5, 2026 | Past Webinars, Webinars
This webinar originally aired on Thursday, February 5, 2026. Presented by: Fernando Bretos of Cresta Coastal Network & Blanda Andrimamy and Léa Méléard of Miarakap. Description: The Conservation Finance Alliance (CFA) Incubator supports the development of innovative finance solutions that deliver sustained conservation outcomes. This webinar showcases two trust-fund–based approaches that mobilize long-term capital for biodiversity conservation and climate resilience. In the first half of the webinar, Fernando Bretos of Cresta Coastal Network will present a pioneering effort to develop Cuba’s first debt conversion for nature and Conservation Trust Fund (CTF). This initiative aims to channel fiscal savings from debt relief into biodiversity conservation, climate adaptation, and sustainable fisheries management, benefiting more than 200 protected areas and critical coastal ecosystems. The creation of an independent CTF can ensure long-term financial sustainability and transparent governance. Building on successful debt conversions and other sustainable finance experiences in the Caribbean, the project seeks to strengthen ecosystem resilience, food security, and climate adaptation through durable, trust-based financing. In the second half of the webinar, Blanda Andrimamy and Léa Méléard of Miarakap will present the Mitsiry Biodiversity and Climate Technical Assistance Facility, a key part of a blended finance vehicle designed to support biodiversity-positive enterprises in Madagascar and Eastern and Southern Africa. The initiative combines a $50 million investment fund with a $5 million technical assistance facility (TAF) that provides grant-based technical assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises. The TAF approach is designed to strengthen financial structuring, impact measurement, and governance, enabling businesses to scale while improving conservation outcomes. By aligning with global best practices in conservation finance, the TAF aims to attract donors and investors while catalyzing long-term, investment-ready conservation enterprises.
by Sarah Carr, Ph.D. | Jan 26, 2026 | Past Webinars, Webinars
This webinar originally aired on Monday, January 26, 2026. Presented by: Bhalin Singh of Prajna Ventures and Onkemetse Nteta of IUCN. Description: The Conservation Finance Alliance (CFA) Incubator Program fosters innovative solutions to conservation challenges. These solutions use finance or economic tools to create clear conservation outcomes or sustained conservation financing. This webinar, the third in a series of five, will showcase two solutions for raising capital from tourism and blending finance for infrastructure investments. In the first half of the webinar, Bhalin Singh of Prajna Ventures will present the Global Green Visa®. The Global Green Visa® (GGV) transforms global tourism into a dedicated and consistent revenue stream for lasting environmental and social impact. Seamlessly embedded within a nation’s existing e-visa system, it adds a modest, transparent contribution directly into priority biodiversity conservation outcomes. The management and use of the funds are independently verified and transparent. Designed for global scaling, GGV is a credible, repeatable model for financing nature. Each green visa becomes an invitation to invest in the planet. In the second half of the webinar Onkemetse Nteta of IUCN will present the Transfrontier Conservation Area (TCFA) Infrastructure Finance Mechanism. Unmet funding needs for the development and management of TFCAs, particularly for infrastructure development and maintenance, are a critical challenge for many countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The TCFA Financing Facility is a regional funding mechanism designed to provide sustainable funding for conservation and management actions in SADC TCFAs. The Facility will capture growing interest from donors and the private sector to develop a EUR 100 million blended finance structure to deliver infrastructure at scale in four selected TFCAs. Infrastructure will improve protected areas management effectiveness, unlock the economic potential of TFCAs, and promote social uplift for TFCA communities.
by Sarah Carr, Ph.D. | Jan 22, 2026 | Past Webinars, Webinars
This webinar originally aired on Thursday, January 22, 2026. Presented by: Hollie Booth of the University of Oxford and Kebersamaan Untuk Lautan & Camille Richer and Yousr Ben Fadhel of BlueMove / BlueSeeds. Description: The Conservation Finance Alliance (CFA) Incubator fosters innovative solutions to conservation challenges by supporting projects that use financial and economic tools to deliver measurable conservation outcomes and long-term sustainability. This webinar, the second in a series of five, highlights two approaches that focus on transitioning fisheries toward more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient models – aligning biodiversity conservation with livelihoods and coastal community well-being. In the first half of the webinar, Hollie Booth of the University of Oxford and Kebersamaan Untuk Lautan will present on marine conservation incentives – a scalable, cost-effective approach to protecting marine biodiversity while safeguarding the livelihoods and wellbeing of coastal communities. This program uses positive incentives – tailored to local realities through a people-centered and evidence-based approach – to drive pro-conservation behavior and support economic welfare in small-scale fisheries. The presentation will explain why and how positive incentives are a powerful solution; share evidence of measurable positive outcomes from a portfolio of pilot programs; and explore how marine conservation incentives can be sustained and scaled to deliver durable benefits for nature and people. In the second half of the webinar, Camille Richer and Yousr Ben Fadhel of BlueMove / BlueSeeds will introduce a new nature-positive fund designed to regenerate marine ecosystems and strengthen coastal livelihoods. Building on the proven BlueMove model in Europe, the fund combines technical assistance and concessional finance to support a regenerative blue economy: sustainable fishing, shellfish farming, value chains, and mangrove-positive livelihoods. The pilot phase will focus in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Tunisia and Senegal in partnership with local cooperatives, microfinance institutions, and MPA managers. The presentation will demonstrate how financial incentives can encourage compliance with conservation rules while improving income stability. It will also outline opportunities for donors to support the launch of the pilot phase.
by Sarah Carr, Ph.D. | Jan 14, 2026 | Past Webinars, Webinars
This webinar originally aired on Tuesday, January 20, 2026. Presented by: Ross Dixon and Audrey Maria Popa of Coast Funds, Raven Walkus of the Wuikinuxv First Nation & Melissa Carmody of WCS Chile. Description: The Conservation Finance Alliance (CFA) Incubator fosters innovative solutions to conservation challenges by applying finance and economic tools to generate measurable conservation outcomes and long-term funding. This webinar, the first in a series of five, will feature two place-based impact bond initiatives that align conservation, community priorities, and accountability. In the first half of the webinar, Ross Dixon and Audrey Maria Popa from Coast Funds, together with Raven Walkus from the Wuikinuxv First Nation, will present the Salmon Impact Bond. A salmon impact bond is a nature bond designed to attract investment in Indigenous-led salmon habitat restoration and community development. The project is currently assessing the feasibility, design, and structure of the bond, including community-defined outcome metrics, market interest, risk considerations, regulatory challenges, and scalability. In the second half of the webinar, Melissa Carmody of WCS Chile will present Karukinka’s Impact Bond, as well as a holistic view of the sustainable finance options supporting the conservation of Karukinka Park in Tierra del Fuego, Chile. The park uses a diversified approach that includes nature-based tourism, an existing conservation endowment that underpins long-term management and requires continued strengthening, and the exploration of results-based financing mechanisms. Karukinka’s approach integrates both ecological and cultural impact considerations, reflecting its vision to safeguard and restore the park’s ecological integrity and cultural values.
