| |  | March 2023 | 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 data-driven nature-based solutions to mitigate climate change, ecosystem collapse, and biodiversity loss. | Highlights | TNFD Nature Data Catalog hosts third steering committee meeting sharing March learnings with emphasis on data product providers, GIS workflows, and greenwashing
MRVC joins the African Natural Capital Alliance, a project of FSD Africa and an official piloting partner of the TNFD, whose collaborative forum is mobilising the financial community’s response to the risk of nature loss in Africa
Wanted: Introductions to funders, full stack developers, UI / UX designers, university researchers and grad students working with nature-data,
Express interest or forward here!
| Summary and Key Learnings | Steering Committee & Nature Data Catalog The third steering committee call summarized the past month’s activities and learnings including: interviews with 2 TNFD pilots & 6 data product provider, 3 fundraising pitches, 10,000+ datasets staged, 1000+ tools staged, and authoring of a forthcoming concept note which frames the catalog as public global data infrastructure in support of nature and biodiversity including climate data repositories NZDPU.
The past month included a number of high value learnings including a concrete shift in data strategy with a focus upon scale via data products & decentralization to accelerate, improve, and standardize the governance, quality, and access of nature data aligned to the TNFD.
Notably the event featured impressive highlights from diverse nature data product providers representing TNFD realms across the globe including GBIF, WWF Risk Filter, Applied Genomics (eDNA), Rainforest Connection (bio-acoustics), IBAT, and Hub Ocean — tip of the iceberg and more collaborations to come. Furthermore, a survey of GIS workflows was completed by a member of the steering committee from Audubon National Society’s Bird Migration Explorer team towards a GIS first approach. On that note we’re also grateful for the continuing participation from ESRI with extensive first-hand experience such as Living Atlas — which includes DCAT support for interoperability among catalogs.
Lastly, the team has stepped up urgency regarding the risks of greenwashing when disclosures and reporting relies upon proxied data — we think framework developers need to take a clear proactive stance on this. Furthermore, our TNFD pilot research interviews reveal important insights including the fact that data gaps make great excuses for inaction. The team is making recommendations across framework developers including TNFD, SBTN, GRI 304 and others to encourage mandated disclosure of data sources by type such as primary, secondary, and third party; modeled vs derived; proxies etc.
Furthermore, encouraging primary data collection is vital as pressures from climate will accelerate ecosystem habitat migration. |  | Summary of Biodiversity Reporting
The Biodiversity reporting landscape continues to evolve as illustrated in the diagram below. Having trouble to keep up? Here’s a short run down and we’ll delve into further details and visuals in forthcoming newsletters. |  | TNFD (Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures) is an initiative that aims to develop a framework for companies and financial institutions to report on their nature-related risks and opportunities. The framework will help investors, lenders, and insurers assess the nature-related risks of their investments and help businesses better understand and manage their environmental impacts and dependencies. |
| SBTN (Science Based Targets Network) is a global initiative that aims to encourage businesses and financial institutions to set science-based targets for biodiversity conservation and restoration. SBTN provides guidance and resources to help companies integrate biodiversity considerations into their decision-making processes and operations, and to report their progress towards achieving their targets. |
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| PBAF (Partnership for Biodiversity Accounting Financials) is an initiative that aims to develop a framework for businesses to measure, manage, and report on their impacts and dependencies on biodiversity
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| GRI 304 (Global Reporting Initiative Standard 304) is a reporting standard that requires companies to report on their water use, discharge, and conservation efforts. The standard helps companies better understand their water impacts and dependencies and allows stakeholders to evaluate their water management practices. |
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|  | 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. | |
|  | Lack of Primary Data is a Driver of InactionAn interesting insight revealed by research interviews including the lack of discoverable primary data as root cause of inaction. The Nature Data Catalog can fix. Have a suggestion to share? | |
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| Academic Institution Collaboration OpportunitiesThe MRV Collective is exploring academic collaboration opportunities for researcher and graduate students involved with leading 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. | | | Good News | | Welcome new members! | | Chloris GeospatialChloris Geospatial provides innovative measurements of natural capital that use cutting-edge remote sensing, machine learning, and ecological science. | |
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| Challenges | “If the World Had a Balance Sheet” | If the Earth had a balance sheet,
What figures would we see?
Would we tally up its beauty,
Or its natural energy?
Would we count the rolling hills, Or the skies of vibrant blue? Would we weigh the forests green, Or the oceans' deep vast hue?
And what of liabilities,
The debts we cannot pay? Of polluted air and oceans, The climate's disarray? |
| The debts we owe the planet, Are debts that we can't pay. Our footprint leaves a burden, That we must face today.
But perhaps the most important, Are the things we cannot see, The love, kindness, and compassion, That keep us all in harmony.
If the Earth had a balance sheet,
May we remember Worth, Of every living creature, And cherish our precious Earth.
—Chat GPT |
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| Per Espen Stoknes, Norwegian professor of Green Growth has written practical guidance and case studies for businesses and policymakers to transition to a sustainable economy, with a focus on creating social and environmental value as well as economic growth. Stoknes draws on his experience as a psychologist, economist, and sustainability expert to provide a comprehensive and accessible guide to creating a healthy and sustainable economy for the future.
Check it out, via MIT Press. |  | | Data, Research & What We’re Reading | News, nature data, research, MRV applications | | | Something to share?Submit recommended nature data sources, MRV news, and research. | |
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| Enjoyed this mail? Send to a friend. Have a comment or suggestion? Drop us a line. | | |
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