Biodiversity Credits, Production Forests and Private Market Buyers with Aleksandra Holmlund

Join me today as I speak with Aleksandra Holmlund, CEO of Qarlbo Biodiversity for a glimpse into the biodiversity crediting mechanism she has championed in Sweden. In this conversation we explore the biodiversity finance mechanism developed in cooperation with the Swedish University of Agriculture that focuses on production forest landscapes. In a nutshell, the mechanism works from a baseline of business as usual forestry and attributes any net gains in biodiversity to come from conservation, restoration or diversification of forest management activities. In addition to the mechanics, we discuss the sentiments of key participants in making this biodiversity credit transaction work – the forest owner and the credit buyer. Tune in to learn more about this very pragmatic approach to biodiversity finance in production forests and see if you can learn a thing or two to apply in your own forest investments.  Show notes:Host: Shauna Matkovich - The Forest Link Producer: Magdalena Laas - https://www.linkedin.com/in/laasmagdalena/ 01:26 Introduction to Alexandra and her background 03:06 Mechanism for biodiversity credit system in production forestry in Sweden 06:20 Example of integration of timber management and biodiversity management 08:50 Proportion of land dedicated to each (specific property owner) 10:12 Carbon credits in Sweden 11:51 Effect of policy changes and legislation on biodiversity offsets and markets 14:16 Buyer’s motivation of obtaining biodiversity credits (specific example) 17:05 Local or global market opportunities? 19:04 MRV process for conservation, restoration and diversification & target setting 22:24 Market price for biodiversity & loss of harvesting income 23:22 Interest from forest owners in biodiversity pilot project 24:15 Funding? 25:06 Duration of commitment by forestry owner (20+ years) 25:48 Mitigate risk of forestry owner quitting project 26:52 Development of biodiversity certification – Swedish Biodiversity Alliance 29:10 Methodology applicable in another jurisdiction 31:30 Data collection methods & fine-tuning metrics 34:26 Actionable advice for investorsSignificant quotes:[10:49]  At this early stage, where we are in the development of the biodiversity credit market, I’d say it is better to keep carbon and biodiversity apart just to be on the safe side, not to trigger any unwanted consequences such as greenwashing critique.[15:44]  A transparent market will allow private funding of biodiversity and enable forest owners to engage in more nature conservation and restoration than we would have had if only taxpayers’ money was paying for everything. Links mentioned:Qarlbo Biodiversity: https://www.qarlbonac.com/Portfolio: https://www.aleksandraholmlund.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleksandra-holmlund-5b04101/ Sound Library:Nature by MaxKoMusic/SoundcloudSopwell Woodlands and Scohaboy Bog SAC, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, IRELAND by wild_rumpus/SoundcloudSign up now for the ForestLink’s newsletter, where you’ll receive technical advice, reflections, and best-practice guidance to support you with your forest-linked investment strategy or business straight to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.