Nature-based Solutions Case Study

What is an example of a quality nature-based solution and how does it work in practice? 

James Clifton co-founded Cultivo, a company which invests in natural capital. Though there are many examples of successful nature-based solutions, this video focuses on one particular project in central Mexico. Cultivo were involved in improving forest management systems in San Bartolo through increasing tree coverage, removing impediments and managing programmes for fire and pest detection. The overall objective was to protect the environment in this area, but also provide a sustainable income to protect and improve the forest for local communities. This was done by combining three organisations together, ICICO, a non profit organisation, PROBOSQUE, a public agency preserving ecological integrity and CULTIVO. Cultivo collaborated with the local communities of San Bartolo and sold high-quality carbon credits. 

What is the future of nature-based solutions?

Scalability has historically been a challenge for nature-based solutions. A blend of both public and private funding will be critical to financing these solutions to get nature-based solutions making a high level of impact. Out of the $133 billion US dollars per year currently invested in nature-based solutions, the private sector only finances roughly 14%. VividEconimics predicts that forest-based nature-based solutions could generate $800 billion in annual revenues by 2050 while research by Barclays indicates that the total voluntary carbon market will surpass $1 trillion US dollars by the same year.