Investing in Mangroves 2025

Components and interactions of the mangrove-positive System Map TABLE 1 Mangroves –Ultimate targeted beneficiary of mangrove-positive interventions, in addition to Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPs & LCs). Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPs & LCs) –Inextricably linked to mangroves in numerous social, cultural, economic and environmental ways. –Necessary leaders and partners for any successful mangrove-positive intervention. Business models –Must incorporate both mangroves and IPs & LCs in a combined manner. –Owned by project proponents and include all types of commercial and non-commercial arrangements that provide a vehicle for mangrove-positive engagement, either directly or indirectly. –Can include those within established supply chains, infrastructure projects, SMEs, carbon crediting projects and insurance schemes. Project developers –Include any stakeholders that directly develop mangrove-positive projects and business models themselves or participate directly in projects by integrating them into their business models (e.g. infrastructure, supply chains, input providers). –Follow a multi-step process to test the feasibility of business models and can, if appropriate, construct and own them. –Partner with IPs & LCs from the outset to ensure project integrity, local adaptability and IP & LC leadership. –Often private companies that employ: –Local NGOs for project development activities, especially to leverage longstanding trusted community relationship. –Local universities for expedited research permits, local capacity and knowledge, and receive capacity and project information in return. –Certification bodies to validate the integrity of their business models. Certification body –Responsible for the verification of data and claims and for the validation of a blue carbon ecosystem’s effectiveness in storing carbon, thus validating the quality of blue carbon credits. –Represent impartiality in the system, playing a crucial role in investing, monitoring and transparency. Local NGOs –Hired by project developers as they are often the stakeholders most trusted by communities, have existing and long-standing relationships with community members, know appropriate experts that are crucial to the project development process, and can help ensure project integrity. Local universities –Engaged by project developers to provide capacity for scientific measurements of feasibility assessments and project outcomes, as well as engagement processes for IPs & LCs. –Partnering with local universities for project feasibility assessments can expedite access to research permits. Project proponents –Owners of the project, these may or may not be the project developer. –Ideally they are a local entity to ensure long-term commitment and knowledge of the local environment and local communities. Input providers –Can be defined as stakeholders (e.g. seed/feed providers, nurseries, hatcheries) that enable the business model’s ongoing operations. –Provide seed, feed and technical training for business models that are dependent on such inputs (e.g. mangrove- positive aquaculture, agriculture, reforestation). Receive payment from business model owners or market access players. –Can play a pivotal role in supply chain financing, risk assessment of business models, ensuring sustainable inputs to help qualify for sustainability certifications, and technical training required to upgrade business models or meet sustainability certification requirements. Local financial institutions –Include local commercial banks, credit unions, central banks and cooperatives. –Provide critical funding and technical assistance at the project level and attract international financiers by de-risking projects through grants and leveraging local, often informal, knowledge that improves risk assessments. –If mangrove-positive business models do not meet national or international standards, local banks can help them meet those standards by bundling them together through a portfolio approach to increase the ticket size and de-risk the models in aggregate (as long as each individual project is sufficiently de-risked on its own to avoid risk amplification). Investing in Mangroves: The Corporate Playbook 17