Reflections from Biodiversity COP-16, Cali, Colombia

Our participation at COP16 in Cali, Colombia, focused on fostering meaningful connections, sharing knowledge, and exploring opportunities that support Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IP&LCs) to lead and benefit from nature-based solutions and biodiversity credit projects.

We had the opportunity to be part of many inspiring conversations. In a peaceful hummingbird sanctuary, Indigenous Peoples and Local Community (IP&LC) leaders shared stories and ideas about how to flow financing that supports their communities. A panel discussion brought IPLCs and financiers together, opening the door to new possibilities for collaboration. We also organised a roundtable to explore the future of biocredit incubators and accelerators, enjoyed a dinner filled with thoughtful discussions on nature markets, and visited habitat banks to see conservation in action.

Each experience reminded us of the power of connection and creativity in building a better future for people and nature. We invite you to explore these moments with us below, and be part of the innovative ideas that are shaping the future of nature and community.

Flowing Nature Finance Directly to Community

Amidst the buzz of COP-16, we stepped out from Cali’s busy streets into the hills and the heart of a hummingbird sanctuary. Our purpose was to exchange knowledge and insights on what is needed for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities to lead in nature markets.  

Experts from Indigenous communities, NGOs, private companies and the finance sector shared their experiences.  The collective insights we drew from the convening were:   

1. IP & LCs have a strong vision for what’s needed for people and nature to thrive. 
2. IP&LCs provide global services. 
3. Finance needs to flow direct to IP & LC communities. 
4. Partnerships are relationships – based on trust, friendship and respect – built over time. 
5. Free Prior and Informed Consent takes time and resources.
   

Learn more in the video below:

Building Sustainable Finance Connections for Indigenous and Community Projects

How do we flow more finance to IP&LCs to halt and reverse nature loss? How do we mobilise more forms of capital, including philanthropic, debt and equity investments, government incentives and markets? 

Our speakers at the Finance and Biodiversity Pavilion event, co-organised with the UN Finance Initiative, provided their views on these and other questions.   

Below are some key insights from the sessions Pollination Foundation organised: 

“You are investing capital, we are investing our livelihoods.” –  Ňkwi Flores, Kinray Hub 

“We need a dialogue where both Indigenous and non-Indigenous spaces work together as equals” – Emil Sirén Gualinga

“I think we should be angry… there are billions of dollars for biodiversity but still there is no money coming to Indigenous communities.” – Bustar Maitar (EcoNusa Foundation)

“We don’t blink an eye when we go to a restaurant and pay a 10% tip, but we have endless conversations about allocating just 1% [of global capital] to save the planet.” – Hari Balasubramanian

“Partnerships need nurturing, just like any relationship. While the urgency of the biodiversity crisis demands quick action, we must also make time to build long-lasting partnerships that travel at the speed of trust.”  – Jane Hutchinson

“Philanthropic finance plays an important role in de-risking possibilities for nature finance, but the key is ensuring that capital reaches those who can promote real change” – Anna Christina Azevedo Nascimento 

“We need to make sure that the funds flow to the right people – those who hold biodiversity in their everyday lives.” – Nkamunu Patita 

“Indigenous people are ready and waiting – we just need funders to be brave enough to meet us there.” – Erica McCreedy 

“Private capital is often very prescriptive… But that’s not the way forward for nature.” – Anabella Maria Rodriguez 

“We have to think long-term… It’s about building a future, not just quick fixes.” – Jose Gualinga 

Read more insights from these events here.

Learn more in the video below:

The Buzz on Biocredits

We hosted an open dialogue “reflections and sharing session” for organisations working on biocredit facilities / Incubators / Accelerators / Initiatives and Nature Markets. The room buzzed with ideas about shaping robust, equitable markets for biodiversity credits. Key takeaways included the importance of:   

• building trust and demand through strong regulatory frameworks   
• ensuring Indigenous leadership and data sovereignty, and   
• supporting community-driven projects with innovative financing models. 

The session also emphasised integrating cultural values into conservation and leveraging tech to enhance transparency while respecting local traditions and knowledge systems.  

Generosity and trust are key to transforming conservation partnerships

At our nature markets dinner, we explored how starting relationships with a giving mindset – offering time, resources, and understanding – can address power imbalances and create authentic connections between IPLCs, businesses, and funders. We discussed important issues like, can partnerships move “at the speed of trust” while meeting urgent funding needs? How do we balance financial metrics with the deeper cultural and intrinsic values of nature? 

Key insights: 

• Aligning expectations early is crucial but requires balancing urgency with the deliberate pace needed to build trust.  
• Financial tools like nature credits are powerful, but they must respect the intrinsic and cultural values of nature, shifting from charity to true collaboration. 
• Trusted partnerships thrive on adaptability, clear communication, and reducing administrative barriers—proving that progress doesn’t need perfection, just shared goals and flexibility. 
• Governance structures act as relational maintenance, ensuring transparency and accountability to sustain trust over time. 

Habitat Banks in Action

Before stepping into the business and busyness of a global conference in a city far from home, we spent 3 days immersed in nature.  Meta district in Colombia’s south-east shares many similarities with the savannas of Australia’s north, with rangeland cattle farming the major industry in the region. A handful of ranchers in the district are partnering on innovative nature conservation projects financed via biodiversity credit markets.   

From our fabulous hosts, the small and mighty Terrasos team, we learned about the methods for healing nature through the regeneration of a biodiverse tropical forest. The work starts with harvesting and growing local seeds, destocking, planting buffer zones around intact ecosystems and establishing natural connectivity corridors for native species (like the aptly named, Howler Monkey) to safely move through the landscape.  

Can the Cali Fund Support IP&LC-led Nature Credit Projects?

One of the few highlights at COP-16 was the establishment of a permanent subsidiary body to enhance the engagement and participation of IP&LCs in all of the convention processes. Another highlight was the establishment of “the Cali Fund”. 

The Cali Fund is designed to share the benefits from uses of digital sequence information on genetic resources more fairly and equitably.  More specifically, it aims to address how pharmaceutical, biotechnology, animal and plant breeding, and other industries benefiting from digital sequencing information on generic resources should share those benefits with developing countries and IP&LCs. 

For a while now, I’ve been reflecting on the critical challenge of funding Indigenous Peoples and local community-led nature stewardship.  Particularly, I’ve been wondering how to do that in a way that doesn’t allow the destruction of nature elsewhere through offsetting.

 

Read co-CEO Jane Hutchinson’s thoughts on how the Cali Fund could be used to create a ready source of demand for IP&LC-led nature credits or certificates. 

With thanks to our partners for their support of these events: