At the UK Parliament: HALO and the future of forest finance
Everland was delighted to mark London Climate Action Week by convening a gathering of policymakers and leaders in forest conservation and sustainable finance at the Houses of Parliament to consider a question at the heart of climate action: how do we ensure Indigenous and traditional communities have the resources they need to continue to protect the forests they have safeguarded for generations?
Hosted by Lord Zac Goldsmith, the event focused on the new HALO Facility, which we launched to address a critical and systemic barrier that prevents communities from securing institutional funding for forest conservation: access to the early-stage capital required to advance their projects from origination to investment readiness.
As HALO raises capital, it will provide catalytic and bridge financing to high-potential projects so they have the resources to establish the foundations upon which durable conservation depends. It is these foundations that mitigate risk and can unlock access to larger institutional financing for projects – including through our Indigenous Amazon Outcome Bond initiative launched in partnership with BNP Paribas.
Ultimately, we aim to help create the conditions for communities to build multigenerational sovereign wealth while conserving millions of hectares of threatened rainforest for the benefit of all.
Our profound thanks to Lord Goldsmith and his team for hosting this important discussion, to all who attended, and to our speakers: Puyr Tembé, Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, and Gerald Prolman.
“The challenge is not a lack of knowledge, wisdom, or capacity within our territories. The challenge is that those who profit from the destruction of the forest continue to have greater access to financial resources than those who dedicate their lives to protecting it,” said Puyr Tembé, Indigenous leader from the Tembé people and former Indigenous Secretary of the State of Pará. “That is why we advocate for direct funding to Indigenous Peoples and traditional communities, without barriers that prevent resources from reaching those who are safeguarding the forest on the ground.”
“HALO will be a massive part of the solution,” said Lord Zac Goldsmith, referring to achieving the goals of the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use. “We all recognise that the most effective, most just way to protect nature at scale is to back conservation led by Indigenous Peoples and local communities.”
“The optimism HALO is inspiring in the conservation and sustainable finance communities is palpable, because it addresses a critical systemic gap,” said HALO Chair Carlos Manuel Rodriguez. “For too long, forest communities have had to shoulder the burden of risk and sustain project development until such time as their projects might qualify for investment. Through HALO, we can change that.”
“HALO was created to address one of the greatest barriers in conservation finance: access to early-stage capital for community-led projects,” said Gerald Prolman, Everland Executive Chairman. “The Facility exists to provide the capital necessary for communities to build the strong foundations upon which lasting conservation outcomes depend. In doing so, communities can strengthen their projects, reach investment readiness, and position themselves to access significantly larger pools of institutional capital required to finance full implementation through verification and long-term forest protection.”
