REDD+ Under Pressure – with Michel Schuurman

The ForestLink newsletter signupREDD++ Business InitiativeTreeviveIn this episode, Shauna Matkovich speaks with Michel Schuurman, Director of Business Development at TreeVive and Chair of the REDD+ Business Initiative, about the slowdown in corporate demand for avoided deforestation credits and why REDD+ remains the most scalable, cost-effective way to protect tropical forests. Drawing on two decades in sustainability and climate finance, Michel explains how reputational risks and investment barriers are stalling progress, and why jurisdictional nesting alone won’t move fast enough. He outlines what high-integrity REDD+ looks like — community-driven design, FPIC, shorter MRV cycles, and national alignment — and calls for continued private-sector engagement.His message: don’t wait for perfection — keep REDD+ in the portfolio, or we lose forests faster than finance flows.Ask someone as a citizen if they would protect forests, and they’ll say yes. Ask them as a corporate communications officer if they’d invest in a REDD+ project, and they’ll say maybe — or no. That’s the gap we need to close.Chapters 0:23 Guest introduction – Michel Schuurman, TreeVive & REDD+ Business Initiative 1:26 Michel’s professional journey and path into forest carbon finance 5:15 Major shifts in forest carbon and avoided-deforestation markets 6:25 Role of the private sector vs governments and NGOs in forest protection 8:52 Why carbon remains the key measurable value metric 10:54 Challenges with valuing intact forests and improving REDD+ mechanisms 13:17 Overview of REDD+ Business Initiative report and its aims 17:01 Addressing media criticism and project integrity in REDD+ 19:26 What’s improving in methodologies and MRV tools 19:27 Three biggest financing gaps in forest protection 21:17 Corporate reputational risk and reluctance to engage 22:39 Policy and Article 6 uncertainty as a major barrier 24:33 Market slowdown and optimism for renewed momentum 26:15 What defines a high-integrity REDD+ project design 27:12 Community engagement, FPIC and benefit-sharing models 29:34 Technical integrity: baselines, MRV cycles, permanence and leakage 31:53 Investor profiles suited to REDD+ projects 33:00 Why institutional capital hesitates and the funding-size gap 35:49 Why capital isn’t flowing despite low ticket sizes 37:06 State of impact and philanthropic investment in REDD+ 38:13 Jurisdictional vs private-project approaches and time lags 40:22 How developers can de-risk and protect their projects 41:02 Emerging insurance and policy-risk products 41:40 Blended-finance tools to mobilize private capital 44:13 Final call to action – keep forest protection in portfolios 45:26 Role of media and balanced reporting 48:00 Closing remarks and where to find the REDD+ Business Initiative reportFounding 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/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.