Webinars

Thursday, February 5, 9 am US EST/6 am PST/2 pm UTC/5 pm EAT. 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.

Tuesday, February 10, 10 am US EST/7 am US PST/3 pm UTC/4 pm CET/5 pm EET/5 pm SAST. Presented by: Judy Mann-Lang, Founder of MPA Day, and Katja Laingui, European Coordinator for MPA Day. Description: Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are essential for conserving biodiversity, supporting sustainable livelihoods, and building climate resilience. MPA Day celebrated on August 1 annually is a coordinated global celebration to amplify collective efforts to protect the ocean. This webinar will highlight the evolution of MPA Day and its growing reach as more regions join in celebrating and promoting the value of MPAs. Judy Mann-Lang will discuss the origin of and motivation for MPA Day and its early growth, based on an understanding of the communication principles that underpin effective MPA management and public engagement. Katja Laingui will outline the steps taken to broaden MPA Day outreach into Europe and foster connections with emerging partners worldwide. Together, the speakers will share practical ways organizations and individuals can participate and help the initiative to grow in reach and impact.

Thursday, February 12, Noon US EST/9 am PST/5 pm UTC/5 pm GMT/6 pm CET. Presented by: Tom Hooper of Fishtek Marine Ltd & Eliot Miller of American Bird Conservancy. Description: The Conservation Finance Alliance (CFA) Incubator supports innovative solutions that use finance, data, and economic tools to advance sustainable conservation outcomes. This webinar will highlight two conservation enterprises: one focused on enabling sustainable fisheries and the other on biodiversity measurement – both cases exploring how robust data, technology, and impact metrics can help make conservation enterprises investable, improve accountability, and mobilize capital for nature-positive outcomes. In the first half of the webinar, Tom Hooper of Fishtek Marine Ltd will talk about the development of an innovative, low-impact method for harvesting scallops using pots as an alternative to damaging dredging. Dredging currently accounts for the majority of scallop harvesting and is associated with high emissions and significant seabed damage. This project explores how investment coupled with the right incentives can support a transition toward lower-impact fisheries. A core focus of the work is to integrate robust, science-based models on social, economic and environmental costs and benefits to enhance investment and policy for this transformation. The project aims to enable investors and regulators to better evaluate and support sustainable fisheries transitions, with applications extending beyond the UK. In the second half of the webinar, Eliot Miller of American Bird Conservancy will present the BirdsPlus Index. The BirdsPlus Index is a science-based tool to measure, report, and validate biodiversity outcomes for conservation finance, impact investing, and nature-positive action. The Index combines data from acoustic recordings, AI-driven species identification, conservation value scoring, and remote sensing to generate site-level biodiversity insights and an overall ecological integrity score. By providing a scalable, credible, and on-the-ground approach to biodiversity measurement, the BirdsPlus Index addresses a critical gap in conservation finance: the need for efficient, reliable, and science-based outcome tracking.

Thursday, February 26, 4-5:30 pm US EST/1-2:30 pm US PST/9-10:30 pm UTC and Friday, February 27, 8-9:30 am AEDT (Canberra, Australia)/10-11:30 am NZDT (Auckland, New Zealand). Presented by: Moderators Kayla Ripple and Nate Fedrizzi of Pew Fellows Program in Marine Conservation and panelists Ana Sequeira of Australian National University and MegaMove, Mark Erdmann of ReShark and Re:Wild, and Elizabeth Karan of Pew Charitable Trusts. Description: Selecting the right locations for high seas marine protected areas (MPAs) requires understanding where animals live and how they travel through the global ocean. A 2025 study provides timely insights into how many of the world’s most iconic marine species use international waters, and where protections could help them recover and thrive. The findings stem from a research project led by 2020 Pew Marine Fellow, Ana M.M. Sequeira, Associate Professor at the Australia National University and Research Director and Founder of MegaMove. This webinar will start with a short presentation highlighting key results from the study followed by an expert panel that will discuss how this information can help inform decision-making around the achievement of global conservation targets and the design of a future high seas MPA network.

Wednesday, March 18, 10 am US EDT/7 am US PDT/2 pm UTC/3 pm CET. Presented by:Vanessa Stelzenmüller of Thünen Institute of Sea Fisheries. Description: Achieving both conservation and green energy goals demands new approaches that more effectively align marine spatial planning (MSP) with systematic conservation planning. As a forward-looking, integrative process, MSP is uniquely positioned to help deliver sustainable marine futures, especially when grounded in strong ecosystem considerations. Implementing an ecosystem-based approach to MSP (EB-MSP) is therefore essential. This webinar will present a stakeholder-informed Decision Support System (DSS) for EB-MSP developed through the Horizon Europe project MarinePlan (www.marineplan.eu). The DSS offers practical guidance for aligning MSP processes with spatial conservation and restoration priorities. This webinar will introduce core components, including the use of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs) as a central driver of conservation planning, as well as standardized guidance for defining planning scenarios aimed at meeting global conservation targets protecting 30% of marine areas, with 10% under strict protection by 2030. Finally, the webinar will compare developed planning scenarios with current MSP practices and discuss key insights. Challenges, opportunities, and areas for improvement within existing governance processes to support more effective implementation of EB-MSP will all be highlighted.