Nature and Climate Accelerator
“NCC is accelerating conservation to address rapid biodiversity loss and climate change — two of the most urgent global issues of our time. The Nature + Climate Projects Accelerator is helping to close the gap in funding for conservation so that we can protect more habitat, faster.”
- Catherine Grenier, Nature Conservancy of Canada President and Chief Executive Officer
Challenge
Rapid biodiversity loss and climate change.
Opportunity
Nature is the answer.
Need
There is a gap in fundraising for conservation.
Solution
The Accelerator is harnessing private funding to fill the gap.
Protecting nature isn’t just good for the planet, it’s great for business
The Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) Nature + Climate Projects Accelerator (the Accelerator) is seizing an unprecedented opportunity to address the dual crises of rapid biodiversity loss and climate change. The Accelerator’s mission — to accelerate conservation outcomes by connecting the true value of nature to new sources of finance — is a powerful complement to traditional government and philanthropic funding for conservation. The Accelerator is NCC’s answer to narrowing the corporate gap in nature investment.
Nations are pledging net-zero carbon economies by 2050
As the private sector shifts toward net-zero and nature-positive commitments, the pool of private capital available for conservation is growing. When environmentally responsible companies invest in conservation, they are helping to solve the climate crisis by supporting nature-based solutions like forests that store carbon. Investing in nature results in win-win environmental and economic outcomes for conservation and for the private sector.
NCC is a reliable delivery partner
- NCC’s core conservation work is aligned with the targets of major national and global efforts to address rapid biodiversity loss and climate change.
- NCC has national reach, a significant land portfolio and proven conservation success — more than 20 million hectares of critically important landscapes have been protected since 1962.
- NCC is committed to collaboration, consultation and bringing experts together to create, fast-track and implement permanent, long-term conservation projects.
The Accelerator is fast-tracking conservation
The Accelerator is developing ways for the private sector to help meet their climate and nature commitments when they invest in NCC’s conservation work. NCC’s focus on conservation outcomes means our projects centre on protecting areas that are prioritized for their conservation value using science-based planning. The Accelerator identifies potential conservation projects that meet specific eligibility criteria, such as being under threat of conversion from an intact landscape to commercial land use. For these projects, leveraging carbon offsets and other nature-based solutions is an opportunity to tap into new sources of revenue, allowing NCC to do more conservation, faster.
NCC’s Darkwoods Forest Carbon Project in British Columbia and the Boreal Wildlands Carbon Project in Ontario are examples of conservation projects where the Accelerator is leveraging carbon markets to accelerate private sector investment in nature.
Carbon Offsets
Misty Darkwoods forest, BC (Photo by Bruce Kirkby)
NCC’s carbon projects direct private sector investments to nature-based solutions
The Nature + Climate Projects Accelerator is developing rigorously certified carbon projects in support of NCC’s conservation goals. By protecting areas of high conservation value that are under threat of conversion, NCC is able to generate and sell carbon offsets and reinvest the profits in more conservation and stewardship.
NCC’s carbon offsets are sold to businesses that are actively working to lessen their environmental impact. These organizations rely on carbon offsets to counterbalance emissions that currently cannot be avoided, reduced or otherwise lessened. The benefits of an investment in NCC’s carbon offsets extend far beyond revenue generation. For example, by investing in ecosystems that capture and store carbon in trees and soil, this reduces climate change impacts and conserves biodiversity.
Carbon projects provide long-term, sustainable revenue for NCC to invest in conservation where it is needed most. NCC’s first carbon project, the Darkwoods Forest Carbon Project in BC, has been successfully funding stewardship and conservation across Canada for 15 years.
Carbon projects also provide new ways for directing private investment to conservation. NCC’s newest carbon project — Boreal Wildlands in Ontario — attracted a $10M upfront investment from TD Securities in 2022 to fund the securement and stewardship of Canada’s largest-ever private conservation project.
What are carbon offsets?
A carbon offset (also known as a carbon offset credit) is a certificate representing the avoided release, or removal, of one metric tonne of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions into the atmosphere. Carbon offsets can be generated through activities that prevent the release of CO2 from ecosystems through the conservation of natural habitats, such as forests, wetlands and grasslands.
NCC follows rigorous international standards and protocols
To issue carbon offsets, NCC must prove our projects are actually preventing the release of CO2 and we must measure those savings. This process uses rigorous international standards and protocols for measuring and documenting the carbon savings our projects provide, and requires regular third-party verification.
NCC’s carbon projects are certified to meet the highest international standards available today, including:
- Verified Carbon Standard — The world’s most widely used greenhouse gas crediting program.
- Sustainable Development Verified Impact Standard —The only certification standard that uses expert third-party auditors to verify that a project advances global sustainable development goals.
- Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard — Recognizes projects that simultaneously address climate change, support local communities and stakeholders and conserve biodiversity.
How does NCC generate carbon offsets?
NCC generates carbon offsets through conserving natural areas under threat of conversion from an intact landscape to commercial land use. The carbon offsets generated and sold, which are validated and verified by independent auditors, represent the CO2 that would have been released without NCC’s conservation of the natural area.
In addition, NCC adheres to the 10 Core Carbon Principles from the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market. These principles are “a global benchmark for high-integrity carbon offsets that set rigorous thresholds on disclosure and sustainable development,” including effective governance, sustainability and emissions impact standards.
To learn more about the Accelerator and opportunities for investing in nature,
please contact accelerator@natureconservancy.ca.
