How Symbiosis is Building Demand for High-Integrity Forest Carbon

The ForestLink newsletter sign-upSymbiosis CoalitionToday, I’m joined by Julia Strong, founder and executive director of Symbiosis Coalition. In this conversation, Julia explains how buyer-led demand can help scale high-integrity forest carbon projects and mobilize capital into nature-based carbon removal. We talk about the role of long-term offtake agreements, the quality criteria Symbiosis uses to evaluate developers, and the common reasons projects fall short in the RFP process. Julia also shares what investors and project developers need to understand about readiness, benefit sharing, and the future of forest carbon as an investable asset class.“Carbon finance is one of the most promising tools that we have in our toolkit to mobilize billions of dollars for nature, climate, and people. It hasn’t yet lived up to its potential, and that was a key reason for starting Symbiosis.”00:13 Introduction to Forest Invest00:34 Julia Strong’s favourite tree01:21 Julia’s background and the launch of Symbiosis03:13 Sending a clear demand signal for high-integrity carbon removals04:17 The four core components of Symbiosis05:20 Unlocking capital through buyer confidence and quality07:17 The 20 million ton commitment by 203009:42 What makes a developer a good fit for Symbiosis 12:17 How developers can access the Symbiosis RFP 14:42 The chicken-and-egg problem in project finance 17:03 Symbiosis quality criteria and project evaluation 24:01 How the RFP process can help shape the market 25:23 Symbiosis’ role after offtake agreements 26:39 Common reasons projects do not advance 31:01 Why pilots and local track records matter 32:16 Bridge capital and the valley of death 35:01 How long the diligence process can take 37:53 Living Carbon and Mombak project examples 41:27 Building a diversified carbon removal portfolio 43:47 How to accelerate buyer demand 47:09 What is next for Symbiosis 48:00 Advice for new forest investors 49:28 Where to learn more about Symbiosis 49:57 Closing thoughts from Shauna MatkovichFounding Director and Host: Shauna Matkovich - The ForestLinkProducer and Editor: Magdalena Laas - Unscripted CreativesNature by MaxKoMusic/SoundcloudSopwell Woodlands and Scohaboy Bog SAC, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, IRELAND by wild_rumpus/SoundcloudAmbient Documentary by Sound Guru (Pixabay)Sign 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.