Leading Global NGOs Launch SCeNe Coalition to Deliver Nature-based Climate Solutions in Southeast Asia

Eight globally recognized environmental and conservation non-profit organizations launched the Southeast Asia Climate and Nature-based Solutions Coalition (SCeNe Coalition) during Ecosperity Week, taking place in Singapore 6-8 June 2023. The SCeNe Coalition is a partnership that aims to support the delivery of and investment in high-quality, triple-benefit Nature-based Solutions (NbS) across the region.

Triple-benefit NbS are actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore ecosystems, that are designed to simultaneously combat climate change, conserve biodiversity and benefit local communities and Indigenous peoples whose lives are intertwined with these ecosystems.

“The successful implementation of NbS is crucial in addressing the climate crisis we urgently face today. The SCeNe Coalition was set up with the aim to drive adoption of these solutions at speed and scale, and to foster collective action across the region. We invite like-minded partners from industry, government, academia, and the wider community to join us in this endeavor, as we work together to make a sustainable future a reality,” said Will McGoldrick, Co-Chair of the SCeNe Coalition and the Regional Managing Director, Asia Pacific of The Nature Conservancy. 

The members of SCeNe Coalition are Conservation International (CI), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), IDH-the Sustainable Trade Initiative, Birdlife International, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Mandai Nature, World Resources Institute (WRI) Indonesia, and WWF-Singapore (World Wide Fund for Nature Singapore), with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) providing strategic advice to SCeNe and its initiatives. Google’s philanthropic arm, Google.org, has provided US$1 million in foundational support to Mandai Nature to partner with the members of the SCeNE Coalition to develop the NbS Tool.

“Investing in nature is key to combating the adverse effects of climate change and the time for action is now. We must come together to effectively collaborate, combining our expertise and resources to achieve impact,” said Sonja Luz, SCeNe Coalition Steering Committee Member and CEO of Mandai Nature. “The launch of the SCeNe Coalition and our aim to build up regional capacity for NbS projects brings us one step closer to realizing positive outcomes for climate, nature, and people in Southeast Asia.” 

The SCeNe Coalition will be demoing the MVP version of an NbS Tool on 8 June as part of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) APAC Event 2023: Ambition, Action, Accountability, being held in partnership with Ecosperity Week.

The NbS Tool aims to lower the barrier to entry for Frontline Organisations (FOs) to access climate finance from NbS projects, as well as to support investors to channel funds to FO-led projects. During the event, the SCeNe Coalition will demonstrate the NbS Tool’s functionality and collect feedback from participants active in the region’s carbon market ecosystem, to ensure it caters to the actual needs of FOs and investors as the targeted users of the tool.

“As demand for NbS for climate rises, a new challenge looms. Where will credible NbS come from? How will we ensure these solutions benefit climate as well as local communities and biodiversity?” said Martin Callow, Co-Chair of the SCeNe Coalition and Regional Director, Southeast Asian Archipelago of Wildlife Conservation Society. “The NbS Tool, as part of a suite of solutions, is designed specifically for both investors and FOs, to answer this twin challenge.”

Private investment into NbS is gradually increasing. This is necessary to address the climate crisis. To date, carbon markets are one of the most effective tools for leveraging private investment in the service of NbS. Therefore, there is an unparalleled opportunity to access and direct climate finance to NbS projects that deliver, not only climate outcomes, but also outcomes for biodiversity and people across Southeast Asia.

In its next iteration, the NbS tool will also include NbS Portfolio, a feature to showcase high-integrity triple-benefit NbS projects, that will help inform market participants on NbS best-practices, as well as direct market demand and climate finance to additional triple-benefit NbS projects in Southeast Asia. The current MVP version of the NbS Tool is publicly available on scenecoalition.org.

The Coalition is also developing an NbS Incubator program, which aims to ensure the delivery of scientific, regulatory, technical, technological, financial, and business development support to FOs at various stages of project development, from pre-feasibility through to carbon sales. More details on the NbS Incubator will be available toward the end of this year.

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SCeNe Coalition

The Southeast Asia Climate and Nature-based Solutions (SCeNe) Coalition is a collaboration between leading non-governmental organizations with an established presence in Southeast Asia aimed at accelerating and increasing implementation of and investment in high-quality, high-integrity, triple-benefit NbS across the region.