Origination: The Importance of Designing Beyond Carbon

Photo courtesy of Nature Conservation Research Center

Bring the Focus Back to the People When creating a Nature-based Solution project, carbon should not be the first priority, but the last. That means a project must provide benefits for the communities involved, first and foremost, to enhance financial stability, improve quality of life, and promote dignity. Without those, forget about permanence. By restoring, […]

Carbon Investors: A Development Paradigm Optimizes Success

In the realm of Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) carbon projects, I’m still relatively green, having only started my journey in 2016. While I’ve successfully led and grown teams in implementing high-quality and globally-recognized carbon projects, particularly in Africa, this experience pales in comparison to my decades-long engagement across various sectors including renewable energy, human rights, democracy […]

Getting to “Shovel Ready” A Field Trip to Tanzania

This blog described a field visit by Nature for Justice’s Khulile Lamula to the project site led by Lima in Tanzania. It is an important part of the co-creation and FPIC documentation process as noted in our recent blog on What’s Needed for More Shovel Ready Carbon Projects. Pilot Project: Lima Kwanza Ltd, Tanzani This […]

What’s Needed for More “Shovel-Ready” Carbon Projects

Despite the recent press slamming certain types of carbon credit projects, demand for high quality Nature-based Solution (NbS) voluntary carbon credits continues to grow. Independent groups like the Integrity Council for Voluntary Carbon Markets (ICVCM) are defining integrity through their Core Carbon Principles (CCPs) and we strongly endorse them. As Nature For Justice (N4J) develops […]

Making History with Black Farmers

At N4J, we know that a monumental transformation is taking place in our nation that will change our agricultural landscape on a massive scale – and that this shift can also serve as a catalyst for reparation to the Black community. Our work isn’t just about supporting Black farmers, it’s about positioning them as leaders […]

7 Attributes of a Just Investor

Nature For Justice (N4J) is a social justice organization focused on supporting frontline communities experiencing the impacts of our changing climate. As our Annual Wrap-up for 2023 described, we have made progress in creating programs in Canada with First Nations, the USA with Black farmers, and across a variety of African countries with small-holder agriculturalists. […]

The Brown Family Farm: Building Resilience and a Legacy
(Part 2 of 2)

In June, the US Farmer Inclusion Team welcomed Patrick Brown as our new Director of Farmer Inclusion. As a fourth-generation farmer, farm manager of his family’s farm, and active advocate for sustainable and profitable farming among Black farmers, Patrick is a jack of all trades and excited to continue his work through Nature For Justice. […]

N4J in Africa: Growing from the Bottom Up

Over the past two years our Africa portfolio and pipeline of nature-based solutions (NbS) to climate change have grown significantly and our network of partners continues to expand. More importantly, all these initiatives are being developed through a co-creation process with our partners and local communities. Project Scale 3 priority projects: in the advanced stages […]

Our Focus: Communities and Project Integrity

Project Integrity

Nature For Justice has engaged with hundreds of nonprofits, civil society groups, businesses, and communities of faith who work at the local level, most of whom have reached out to us to learn about Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and the opportunity to access funds for launching their own NbS projects. These climate project proponents represent hundreds […]

Best Practices In Creating and Leading Nature-based Solutions Projects

Nature-based Solutions

Admittedly, upfront, this is our take on what constitutes best practices when it comes to creating and leading Nature-based Solution (NbS) projects with local partners. These partners have existing trust networks and have aggregated landowners pursuing resilience in the face of our changing climate. (BTW, coming soon will be a detailed look at how we […]

5 Barriers to Entry in Nature-based Carbon Projects

Barriers to Entry

Nature for Justice’s (N4J) experience with the request for nature-based carbon project proposals in Africa, which we are also contemplating in Canada with First Nations, has generated an enormous amount of interest. Despite the holiday period in the U.S., we received over 70 proposals by mid-January. While many proposals did not meet the requirements for […]

Nature-based Solutions: A Quick Explainer.

Nature-based Solutions, swamps

First coined as a term by the IUCN 20 years ago, Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are gaining steam across the globe.  Major international organizations, large donors, NGOs, and governments see the potential far-ranging benefits of sponsoring NbS projects. Both large and smaller-scale organizations – from the UN, The World Bank, and Conservation International to The Wetlands […]