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February 2022 |
The MRV Collective is a coalition of Measurement, Reporting & Verification (MRV) companies and organizations working to make MRV more affordable, reliable and scalable in order to accelerate investment in nature-based solutions to mitigate climate change, ecosystem collapse, and biodiversity loss. |
Highlights |
Nature Data Catalog second steering committee and February release adds support for TNFD & SBTN with 100’s of tools and 1000’s of datasets staged
MRVC has been working closely together with a major sugarcane supplier on a regenerative sugarcane project in Guatemala
Wanted: Introductions to funders, full stack developers, ui / ux designers, university researchers and gradstudents working with nature-data,
Express interest or forward here!
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Summary and Key Learnings |
Steering Committee & Nature Data Catalog The second steering committee event included participants from science and ecology, tech and data, finance and policy. During the event participants offered short pitches regarding why a data catalog is vital and urgently needed. The group also reviewed the teams progress and key insights from the DCI calls held a week earlier.
Wanted: The team is currently inviting collaborators — share this form or submit on their behalf. |
 | Are you piloting TNFD, SBTN, or Nature Accounting?Software products succeed when they are built together with users and solve real world challenges. Invite TNFD, SBTN, or nature accounting pilot participants to one of our upcoming short interactive and fun weekly sessions. | |
|  | Nature Data Catalog releases Framework Support The second iteration of the “Github for Nature” Data Catalog, adds initial support for TNFD LEAP approach and SBTN with 100s of tools staged for inclusion and 1000s of datasets. Have a feature suggestion, idea, or use case? | |
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TNFD Data Catalyst Initiative RecapMRV Collective participated in 4 days of TNFD Data Catalyst Initiative calls last week. These were in depth group calls led by James D’ath of the TNFD and who is also a member of the Nature Data Catalog Steering Committee. The DCI calls covered important themes including location data needs & limitations, the perspective of financial institutions, creating proxies for reporting, and rating nature data quality. Some of the insights we heard from participants included,
”I think more effort on trying to integrate [the data is needed] Otherwise it'll just get bundled up until the point [that] the level of the sophisticated scoreboard leads you a long, long way away from the reason that data was first collected”
— DCI Participant, 6 Feb 2023
”If users don't understand [the metric}, if they don't know how to use them, then we are kind of opening the field for poor quality black boxes from commercial data providers”
— DCI Participant, 8 Feb 2023
”I think that TNFD will absorb the TCFD because the integrated vision is really a solution because it's asks us to solve the climate-nature nexus”
— DCI Participant, 7 Feb 2023
”Companies are crying out for guidance, how can we accelerate adoption of TNFD and learn from TCFD mistakes regarding data?”
— DCI Participant, 9 Feb 2023
”40 trillion of assets tracked in ESG strategies. But there's a disconnect you know, the forests are still coming down, species are lost in terms, where is the genuine impact?”
— DCI Participant, 9 Feb 2023 |
Academic Institution Collaboration OpportunitiesThe MRV Collective is exploring academic collaboration opportunities for researcher and graduate students involved with leading research efforts leveraging nature data field collection or analysis. Submit the following expression of interest to learn more about opportunities to connect your research and domain expertise in nature with mission critical applications. |
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Good 🤍 News |
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Uptick in MRV Solution Interest following Mandatory Carbon Reporting RequirementsCarbon disclosures are becoming mandated as noted in recent international announcements cited in this article by Greenbiz. Noteworthy is a spotlight on MRV to keep up with demand for accurate carbon disclosure data. We’ve also seen an uptick in inquiries from project developers seeking independent, registry agnostic MRV Solutions after the recent in depth inquiries related to Verra & South Pole
“One expected development is an increase of companies hiring professionals and seeking technologies in support of what’s called MRV — for measuring, reporting and verification — to keep up with the demand by regulators, investors and customers for accurate carbon disclosure data.” |
Welcome new members! |
| WildsenseWildsense has a strong technological component, using satellite imagery, machine learning and a dedicated field app. As such, we can offer expertise on how to use the combination of different data sources to precisely monitor projects | |
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| dClimatedClimate is a chain-agnostic, decentralized climate information ecosystem that makes it easy for businesses and builders to find, access, and utilize essential information about our planet to better understand how weather and climate impacts our communities and build data-driven technology solutions for helping communities achieve climate resilience. | |
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| Applied GenomicsApplied Genomics Ltd. provide environmental DNA-based sampling equipment and analysis services for the quantification of biodiversity in terrestrial, aquatic and marine environments. We deliver simple, practical and impactful tools that can help businesses to identify their impacts and dependencies on biodiversity, to quantify nature-related risks and opportunities, and to support business to make better informed, data-driven decisions for efficient and cost-effective management of their environmental pressures. | |
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| ClimaFiClimaFi is launching the Peatland Protocol, a new dMRV for the restoration of global peatlands based on patent pending, peer reviewed science. The technique is centred on rewetting peatland and measuring ground motion using satellite imagery. The resulting data is combined with changes in water table depth ("the proxy") to calculate highly accurate records of post restoration C02e reduction at scale. | |
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Challenges |
ESG Greenwashing, Voluntary Carbon Credit Scrutiny, Company Commitments and DeforestationThere has been an increase in scrutiny surrounding ESG with some formal studies which have concluded that disclosures generally exacerbates ESG rating disagreement rather than resolves it. Whereas another study claims that a rating agency’s overall view of a firm influences the measurement of specific categories. In the voluntary carbon market space we have seen recent in depth scrutiny over questionable economic incentives, over estimation, and forthcoming re-evaluation with respect to Southpole and Verra. Both companies offered comprehensive responses here and here. This scrutiny has put the firms on the defensive and calls into wider questions around trust.
– Verra and Carbon Credit Scrutiny, 18 January via the Guardian
– Verra Response, 18 January
– South Pole / Verra Scrutiny, 27 January via Follow the Money
– South Pole Response, 16 February
Then this month we see the Forest 500 report released by Global Canopy citing that 40% of organizations with the most exposure and influence upon tropical deforestation have not set deforestation commitments.
We believe data transparency, access to asset level primary data, and accelerating nature-accounting is at the crux of these issues to ensure integrity and trust by all parties. |
Nature Crimes and Drivers of Forest & Biodiversity LossOften under looked drivers of forest and biodiversity loss include poaching, wildlife trafficking, and nature crime. The MRV Collective is in early discussions with the Analytic Center of Excellence on Trafficking to better understand illicit supply chains and the pressures facing biodiversity hotspots and the vulnerability of economically stressed communities. We believe organizations can be empowered to make better decisions by bringing this data inline with portfolio and supply chain activities. Many exploiters go unpunished and escape prosecution as highlighted in this recent article regarding South East Asia criminal syndicates. |
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Data, Research & What We’re Reading |
News, nature data, research, MRV applications |
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| Something to share?Submit recommended nature data sources, MRV news, and research. | |
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