Paul McMahon from SLM Partners explores how the sustainability challenges of modern-day agriculture can be solved using ecological, regenerative farming systems that offer superior risk-adjusted returns on investments.

Large Scale Landscape Restoration: The Investment Case for Ecological and Regenerative Farming

In this webinar, Howell discusses his work at the Open Space Institute, a conservation organization that focuses on landscape scale conservation throughout the Eastern United States. Through recent projects spearheaded by OSI, Howell illustrates the challenges and opportunities that landscape-scale conservation presents, and shares his insight on current trends regarding conservation in the United States.

[Nature's Returns] Protecting Nature: Landscape Scale Conservation in the United States

During this webinar, Gretchen Daily, senior fellow at Stanford University and co-founder of the Natural Capital Project, presents the Natural Capital Project (NatCap) and its practical, science-based approach towards ecosystem service valuation. Highlighting the overarching mission of NatCap and the tools developed to realize its vision, Daily showcases projects where NatCap's work has influenced decision-making around the world.

[Nature's Returns] Mainstreaming Natural Capital into Decision-Making: Frontiers in Research and Policy

In this webinar, Gretchen Daily, senior fellow at Stanford University and co-founder of the Natural Capital Project (NatCap), will present the NatCap and its practical, science-based approach towards ecosystem service valuation. Highlighting the overarching mission of NatCap and the tools developed to realize its vision, Daily will showcase projects where NatCap's work has influenced decision-making around the world.

Mainstreaming Natural Capital into Decision-Making: Frontiers in Research Policy

In this webinar, the speakers talk about the Micronesia Challenge and the Caribbean Challenge Initiative, regional models for leveraging large-scale public and private sector commitment towards common goals. Kostka and Batista highlight the enabling factors that support the regional trusts as financial vehicles to attract and provide long-term, sustainable funding for biodiversity conservation. They also detail how countries within their respective regions have capitalised on their natural resources to generate revenue for the trust funds.

Bright Spots for Resource Mobilisation: Regional Initiatives

This week we feature the 2014 winners of the International Society of Tropical Foresters' (ISTF) Forest Finance Innovation Prize, Scott Landis, President of GreenWood and Yadira Molina Cruz, Director of Resource Management and Advocacy, Fundacion MaderaVerde. Founded two decades ago, the Green Broker Network combines technical training and practical research with savvy marketing and equitable financial relationships to create environmental, social, and economic benefits for forest communities and the recipients of their wood products.

A Green Broker Network: Coyote Verde

Our featured speaker is Chris Meyer, Director of Business Development at Planting Empowerment. Planting Empowerment manages a complex mix of multiple products, species, and financial sources to facilitate increased financial flows to locally controlled forestry. It combines polyculture agroforestry plantations with a land lease model that generates increased social, environmental, and economic benefits for its land partners and other stakeholders.

Strategic Financing Initiatives: Increasing Financial Flows to Locally Controlled Forestry

Please join us for the 2013-2014 season of, "Nature's Returns: Investing in Ecosystem Services," coordinated by the Yale Center for Business and the Environment and the Conservation Finance Network, a program Island Press. Our featured speaker is Peter Stein from Lyme Timber. Peter will talk specifically about how Lyme Timber invests in forest and rural real estate for multiple values. He will discuss how Lyme Timber utilizes financial streams such as working forest conservation easements, New Market Tax Credits, wetland mitigation, advantageous debt arrangements, and other ecosystem service payments in addition to traditional forest product sales. Peter will present three case studies to illustrate how Lyme Timber structures transactions and manages forests for financial and ecological returns.

Investing for Superior Returns and Conservation Value

Brian Dangler, Director of the New Forest Fund at the Conservation Fund, speaks on "Bridging the Gap: Securing High Conservation Value Forests for Future Generations" as part of 'Nature's Returns - Leadership in Domestic Forest: A New Webinar Series on Ecosystem Services.' New Forest Fund Director Brian Dangler is an expert in forestland acquisition and finance, with more than 20 years of experience. Brian has worked at the Fund since 2008. He holds an MBA from Thomas College and both a Masters and Bachelors of Forestry from the State University of New York.

Brian Dangler, Director of the New Forest Fund at the Conservation Fund, speaks on "Bridging the Gap: Securing High Conservation Value Forests for Future Generations" as part of 'Nature's Returns - Leadership in Domestic Forest: A New Webinar Series on Ecosystem Services.' <br><br>New Forest Fund Director Brian Dangler is an expert in forestland acquisition and finance, with more than 20 years of experience. Brian has worked at the Fund since 2008. He holds an MBA from Thomas College and both a Masters and Bachelors of Forestry from the State University of New York.

Bridging the Gap: Securing High Conservation Value Forests for Future Generations

Chandler Van Voorhis, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of C2I, LLC, a conservation bank, will kick off our fourth mini-series addressing Leadership Domestic Forest Finance.

Silvicultural and Financial Innovation for Large Scale Restoration in the Mississippi Delta

Nature’s Returns: Investing in Ecosystem Services

Important in sight for anyone interested in the emerging markets of ecosystem services.  Examples of how they are being monetized in some countries and what are some of the ways that we can actually turn these services that nature provides into a good that can actually be sold in a market.  A real interesting series.

From Ecosystems to Markets

Watershed

Genevieve Joyce Bennet, Research Analyst at Ecosystem Marketplace, and Katherine Hamilton, Strategic Advisor at Forest Trends’ Ecosystem Marketplace discuss the second installment of the ‘State of Watershed Payments’ series, an effort to globally track the size scope and directions of Investments in Watershed Services (IWS) as well as the ecological infrastructure from which they flow.

Financing Mechanisms for Watershed Payments

George Kelly, Founder of the Environmental Banc and Exchange (EBX) discusses the business case for restoring our nation’s critical ecosystems through mitigation banking. Using his professional experience, George reviews risks and opportunities for developers presented by domestic wetland regulations, and explores how mitigation banking works as a tool to balance conservation and development on multiple scales.

Mitigation Banking: The Business Case for Protecting US Wetlands

Jennifer Molnar, Director of Sustainability Science, The Nature Conservancy, discusses a partnership with The Dow Chemical Company recognizing the value of ecosystem services in corporate strategy. She reviews the scientific, economic, and strategic aspects of the project.

Ecosystem Services and Corporate Strategy: The Nature Conservancy and The Dow Chemical Company

Resilience

Brad Hunter Yale F&amp;ES MF '02, Business Lender at Craft 3, continues the Ecosystem Services and Community Development mini-series by discussing how his firm strengthens economic, ecological, and familiy resilience in the Pacific Northwest through investments in local businesses and non-profits. Brad Hunter is a business lender with Craft3, a non-profit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), based in Portland, Oregon. He manages the Conservation Bridge Fund, which provides financing for conservation land acquisitions in Oregon. Brad's background is in forest management and timberland investment. He worked as an investment analyst for a TIMO (Timberland Investment Management Organization) and a forester for a privately held timber company. Brad has a Master in Forestry from Yale FES and a MBA from University of North Carolina.

Lending for Ecological, Family, And Economic Resilience in the Pacific Northwest

Charlotte Kaiser, Director of Innovative Finance at The Nature Conservancy, continues the Innovative Financial Tools mini-series by discussing TNC's use of Conservation Notes and other mechanisms to support conservation activities and organizational management.

How The Nature Conservancy Utilizes Conservation Finance Notes and Other Mechanisms

Molly Murfee, Executive Director, 1% for Open Space, discusses "Local Business, Voluntary Surcharges, and Conservation Outcomes" in Gunnison County Colorado.

Innovative Financial Tools for Conservation: Local Business, Voluntary Surcharges, and Conservation Outcomes

Featured speaker Ricardo Bayon, Partner and Co-Founder of EKO Asset Management Partners, kicks off the Fall 2013 Green Infrastructure mini-series by discussing private investment in natural infrastructure and the opportunities of ecosystem services markets in built environments. His presentation draws in particular from the case of Philadelphia, PA. The presentation is followed by audience Q&amp;A.

Investments in Green Infrastructure: Private Investment in Green Infrastructure

Sheila Walsh, Senior Scientist with The Nature Conservancy’s Sustainability Science Program presents her work and the approach taken by TNC and NGO’s in the field of Ecosystem Services, plus takes questions from the audience.

Ecosystem Services: An NGO Perspective

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