Webinars

This webinar originally aired on Thursday, February 26, 2026. 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.

This webinar originally aired on Thursday, February 12, 2026. 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.

This webinar originally aired on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This webinar originally aired on Monday, December 1, 2025 (US time). Presented by: Alvin Chelliah of Reef Check Malaysia. Description: Traditionally, MPAs in Malaysia have been managed in a top-down approach with little involvement of local community. In 2014, Reef Check Malaysia started working with local islanders on Tioman Island to provide advanced-level diver certification and a variety of trainings – including reef monitoring and rehabilitation, predator management, mooring buoy replacement, and ghost net removal. In 2015, Reef Check Malaysia established its first community-based conservation group – the Tioman Marine Conservation Group (TMCG) – in response to demand from local islanders who were keen to participate in management and conservation of their island’s marine resources and work for the local MPA Tioman Marine Reserve. Today, the TMCG has over 85 trained volunteers – all local islanders – who regularly participate in conservation activities. In 2019, the group was officially recognized by the Malaysian Department of Fisheries as a strategic partner under its Reef Care Smart Partnership program, which shares responsibility for coral reef management with suitable local community groups. Recognizing the effectiveness of this approach, Reef Check Malaysia has now expanded the Community Marine Conservation Groups model across 4 states and 11 islands. Collectively, these CMCGs are leading the way in showing how the involvement of local communities in marine ecosystem management can have significant conservation outcomes, as well as mainstreaming environmental protection at community level.

This webinar originally aired on Thursday, November 20, 2025. Presented by: Anastasia Quintana of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Eréndira Aceves Bueno of the University of Washington, and Jean Wencélius of the Centre de Recherches Insulaires et Observatoire de l’Environnement (CRIOBE).
Description: International conservation efforts, including “30×30” – the goal to protect 30% of the land and sea by 2030 – have focused largely on permanent or long-term protection. This is based partly on studies that link marine protected area (MPA) effectiveness to longevity, and partly on pragmatic policy concerns. However, coastal communities often rely on fisheries for their livelihoods and need ways to balance conservation and livelihood outcomes. Many forms of spatial fisheries management, especially traditional and indigenous management, rely on impermanence, including periodic and rotational fisheries closures. So how should conservation practitioners think about temporary protection? The international “TEMPO” project, a 5-year partnership between four universities, two research institutes, and two community partner organizations in Mexico and French Polynesia, brings together several lines of evidence to address this question. In this webinar, the TEMPO team will present novel results from social-ecological analysis at multiple scales, including a systematic review of temporary protection globally and in-depth results from case studies in Mexico and French Polynesia. The four main takeaways are: (1) there are diverse ways to include time in spatial management; (2) adding time to marine spatial management increases climate-adaptive policy options and potential for institutional fit; (3) temporary closures probably increase equity and justice; and (4) periodic harvest tends to deplete ecological benefits that have accrued but support long-term buy-in into ecological care.

This webinar originally aired on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. Presented by: David Meyers of the Conservation Finance Alliance and the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) Sustainable Finance Specialist Group. Description: New guidance provides detailed frameworks, descriptions, and insights into the use of conservation finance solutions to achieve protected and conserved area outcomes. The webinar will spotlight how protected and conserved areas (PCAs) generate significant values for society and the economy, why these high economic values are not enough to ensure PCAs are adequately funded and conserved, why financial needs for PCAs are growing, and why investing in PCAs generates significant returns. In addition, this webinar will cover critical guidelines for PCA finance – optimizing resource efficiencies, discouraging harmful actions, incentivizing position action, and increasing financial capital for conservation – for a variety of finance streams including donors and philanthropies, site-based finance, and private sector finance along with special considerations for indigenous group funding.