The financial sustainability of modern African conservation landscapes is often built around portfolios of nature-based businesses – particularly in the tourism sector; and while these can comprise both successful and responsible businesses, they are all too often characterized by one major shortcoming – their ownership structure does not meaningfully engage or benefit local stakeholders. The conservation community has historically attempted to address this ownership divide by building new community-owned enterprises that lack competitiveness, have long pathways to profitability, and high risks. Mwenzi Capital seeks to democratize existing conservation-focused enterprise ownership and value streams in critical African conservation landscapes. This will be done through making specially structured investments in existing, and hence de-risked, revenue generating nature-based businesses that could benefit from stronger community collaboration – and directing ownership or revenue back to collaborating communities and conservation organizations so that all parties benefit from the enterprise’s enhanced success. The approach is both scalable and flexible and, in tourism markets at least, has current relevance and applicability in the post-Covid-19 period. Initial pipeline development revealed has significant appetite.
CFA Incubator Webinar: Ngwala Inventions
Ngwala Inventions is one among seven finalist of the second cohort selected by Conservation Finance Alliance Incubator’s Technic al Review Committee to receive nine months incubation. Since February 2022, Ngwala Inventions has been receiving mentorship and financial support from Conservation Finance Alliance (CFA) Incubator / Wildlife Conservation Society and its partners. Ngwala In ventions is a registered company in Tanzania with the purpose of solving inaccessibility and unaffordability of organic farm inputs. More – over solving chemical exposure problems caused by farm empty pesticide and fertilizer containers replacing them with A utomated Solar Powered Bio - pesticides and Bio - fertilizer Delivery Machines that allows smallholder farmers to access organic farm inputs on time, on farm ,on credit, at lowest cost and on demand. Since the starting of the incubation in February Ngwala Inve ntions has manufactured 5 Automated Bio - pesticides and Bio - fertilizer machines which are installed at 5 strategic farming locations and currently manufacturing bio - pesticides and bio - fertilizer for refilling the machines. Ngwala Inventions has helped thous and farmers in rural communities with the expectation to reach 5000 farmers by the end of 2022.
CFA Incubator Webinar: Blue Recovery Bond
This work provides a robust first pass at understanding how to evaluate fisheries blue recovery bond candidacy and highlights the types of data / information streams that will prove useful in moving blue recovery bonds for fisheries recovery forward. Using the calculator that we developed to evaluate blue recovery bond candidacy can help any fishery evaluate whether this type of instrument would efficiently contribute to support their sustainability – and also signal interest from fishery stakeholders for this type of instrument.
CFA Incubator Webinar: Ocean Eye
Global studies have shown that stakeholder buy-in is the number one success factor in marine conservation, but too often coastal communities lack incentives to support conservation initiatives. Ocean Eye is a fintech solution for the tourism sector that facilitates micro payments by marine tourists towards coastal communities based on wildlife sightings. In other words, Ocean Eye is a data collection and financial transfer platform that collects wildlife sighting data and transfers ecosystem service payments. The animal sighting reports are directly linked to small payments from tourists that go to coastal communities and incentivize the protection of endangered and vulnerable species. The mechanism creates incentives for communities to reduce harm to nature and become conservation allies.