¿Y si financiamos la naturaleza como financiamos las carreteras? | Maurício Serna | TEDxAmazônia

Quick Overview

Mauricio Serna proposes financing nature conservation using a model similar to infrastructure financing, arguing that protecting biodiversity is a concrete investment in collective future rather than just a symbolic gesture, aiming to create a sustainable financial mechanism through collective investment and performance-based payments rather than relying solely on philanthropy or limited public budgets.

Key Points: Latin America and the Caribbean have seen a 94% decline in vertebrate populations between 1970 and 2018, highlighting the urgency of conservation. The speaker advocates for treating nature conservation as critical infrastructure, similar to roads and water treatment plants, which requires large-scale, long-term financing. The proposed solution involves creating a 'Habitat Bank' that aggregates investments from NGOs, companies, and individuals to fund conservation and restoration projects over 30 years. This model is structured around 'payment for results,' ensuring investments are tied to verifiable outcomes in biodiversity preservation and restoration, moving away from short-term, dispersed investments. The 30-year financial model shows initial negative cash flow (investment and costs) peaking around year 7, followed by sustained positive income (revenues) from year 13 onwards, achieving long-term sustainability. The goal for 'Vision 2030' includes mobilizing USD 30 million for biodiversity, conserving 100,000 hectares through aggregated investments in LATAM, and generating 2,000 conservation-related jobs.

Context: Mauricio Serna delivers this TEDx talk at TEDx Amazônia COUNTDOWN, focusing on innovative financial solutions for Amazonian and Latin American biodiversity conservation. He contrasts the current funding gaps and the alarming rate of biodiversity loss (94% decline in vertebrate populations in LATAM since 1970) with a proposed long-term financial model, likening the funding of nature to financing essential infrastructure like roads or pension funds.