Using carbon management as a sustainable strategy for protected and conserved areas

Abstract

Countries are edging towards an agreement to set aside 30% of land and oceans for protected and conserved areas. Yet the funding to support such an ambitious conservation measure is largely lacking. The figures needed seem large. But well-managed natural ecosystems in protected areas offer benefits that meet other global commitments, like the Sustainable Development Goals, Paris Agreement, UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and many more. Protected areas thus offer contributions across many different international commitments, substantially increasing their real value. The REDD+ scheme and similar carbon offsetting initiatives offer opportunities for investors to tackle a wide range of socio-economic and environmental challenges simultaneously and is one of the clearest examples of multiplying benefits. These options are far from perfect, but already have a proven track record of bringing sustainable finance into conservation areas that have few other alternatives. We look at the pros and cons and argue that conservation institutions need to be scaling up their ambitions and bring such thinking more into the mainstream.