Investing in Mangroves 2025

Sources: World Economic Forum analysis, PLANETA Carbon Finance Playbook, High-Quality Blue Carbon Practitioners Guide.High-quality project development overview TABLE 3 Visioning Mapping & preliminary consultationFull assessment & consultationPartnerships & designAchieving preconditionsImplementation Initiating stakeholders generate and clearly articulate the jointly intended project type, relevant business models, outline of project area, impact targets and level of project complexity to determine necessary community and government engagement. Opportunity to embed convergence of people, nature and climate targets within project vision. Appropriate certification/ verification targets identified.Initial engagement with project stakeholders and local community to clearly articulate project vision and openly invite feedback. Alongside project stakeholders and local community, ensure co-mapping of: –Directly And indirectly affected stakeholders (by type). –Conservation activities’ links to tangible ecosystem services. –Other initiatives that are engaging stakeholders and opportunities to streamline. –Stratification of project area. Conclude budget and team needed for activities of Stage 3: Full assessment & consultation.Full consultation of project stakeholders (incl. IPs & LCs) around project vision. Co-development of initial plan, ensuring IP & LC capacity to knowledgably participate. Holistic baseline assessment of: –Relevant research gaps. –Integrity of regulatory factors. –Socio-economic/ cultural data, (incl. livelihoods & vulnerability). –Local ecosystem connectivity. –Climate and biodiversity risk. –Local implementation capacity. Determine additionality and theory of change, required legal reforms, relevant authorities, market access and risk mitigation.Engage key identified stakeholders (incl. relevant authorities and those supporting through commercial arrangements) for project co-design. Focus co-design on robust revenue streams, transformative potential for IPs & LCs, project resilience, efficient administration, holistic benefits, cross-initiative synergies, mitigating negative impacts and supportive infrastructure. Formulate benefit- sharing agreements and alternative livelihoods scheme. Articulate interventions and project bottlenecks in systemic context. Align with national commitments. Launch programme partnerships.Clearly establish legal rights. Establish grievance systems, adaptive management protocols, formal government endorsement, ESG safeguards and leakage-avoidance mechanisms. Execute contracts for commercial arrangements and shared enabling infrastructure. Construct demonstration plots when possible. Complete project aggregation and packaging. Nest projects within national frameworks, if relevant. Outline portfolio of funding and resourcing options for anticipated funding and execution gaps.Full kick-off of project implementation activities. Establish monitoring and evaluation programmes focused on tangible outcomes, especially linked to environmental and socio- ecological aspects, SMART goals for biodiversity and relevant certification objectives where possible. Train project proponents, especially IPs & LCs to navigate accreditation process. Form sellers’ and producers’ clubs, if applicable. Ongoing IP & LC engagement, co-development, detailed documentation and public sharing of collected data Determine extent of alternative livelihoods scheme needed for a just transition.Identify primary drivers of degradation and relevant initiatives in target jurisdiction. Explore alternative livelihood schemes.Assess readiness and likelihood of jurisdictional approach, based on regulatory, stakeholder and other factors.Full launch of jurisdictional approach process with neutral project lead.Formally prepare just transition scheme with local government. Unlock funding to roll out jurisdictional programme. 1 month 1-2 months 4-10 months 9 months - 2 years 1-2 months Ongoing –Clear outline of project vision including assessment processes. –Funding for mapping and preliminary consultation stage. –Pre-feasibility funding. –Initial community & stakeholder consent. –Contracts executed. –Conclusion of feasibility assessment. –Conclusion of Free, Prior and Informed Consent process. –Leadership assessment. –Project design funding. –Project design document development. –Residual funding gap concluded. –Fundraising process for project implementation. –Community benefit-sharing agreements executed. –Operational contracts in place. Unique to jurisdictional approach Duration Key intermediate outputs Z2 3 4 5 6 1 Ongoing IP & LC engagement, co-development, detailed documentation and public sharing of collected data Investing in Mangroves: The Corporate Playbook 34