Writing For Conservation Projects

I sent the same appeal to 10,000 donors. One version raised $67,000. The other raised $142,000. The only difference? Where I put the word "you." Donor-centered writing isn't just nice—it's profitable: • "You" in the first sentence increases response by 23% • Stories about donors (not beneficiaries) raise more money • Questions outperform statements in both open and response rates One organization rewrote their case statement from "we need" to "you can" language and saw major gift closes increase by 41%. The most powerful word in fundraising isn't "give"—it's "you." What small language shift has made the biggest difference in your fundraising?

🇨🇴 As Colombia prepares for the COP16 UN biodiversity conference in less than 100 days, the nation has achieved an extraordinary milestone, recording its lowest deforestation rate in 23 years. 🌳 In 2023, deforestation dropped by 36%, with just 79,256 hectares deforested compared to 123,517 hectares in 2022. 📉 3 Key Factors Behind the Success: 1. Government Action: President Gustavo Petro’s policies focus on limiting agribusiness expansion and promoting sustainable practices among indigenous communities. His administration has also strengthened environmental enforcement, increased funding for conservation, and advocated for debt-for-nature swaps, calling on wealthy nations to cancel foreign debt in exchange for conservation commitments. 2. Conservation Programs: Initiatives like “Conservar Paga” have incentivised local communities to protect forests, tripling rewards for conservation efforts. These programs have empowered local leaders and provided economic alternatives to deforestation. 3. Community Engagement: Collaboration with indigenous and rural communities has been important. Training and resources have been provided to help these communities manage and protect their lands sustainably. Peace talks with armed groups have contributed to reduced deforestation, as some groups have issued orders forbidding deforestation in certain areas. Despite these gains, challenges remain. Illegal mining, logging and El Niño weather events continue to threaten forest conservation. ⛈️ But despite ongoing challenges, Colombia’s results shows us how integrated policies and community engagement can drive significant environmental progress and will hopefully inspire other countries to follow replicate their success. 🌎 #Colombia #Deforestation #COP16

A new blueprint for sustainability from the IPBES Nexus Report! The latest IPBES (they're like the IPCC for nature) nexus report is a must read for all of us working toward a sustainable future. It highlights the inextricable links between biodiversity, water, food, health, and climate—and how these interconnected systems must be tackled together, not in silos. Here are some key insights: ➡️ Biodiversity has declined 2–6% per decade across all assessed indicators for the past 30–50 years. ➡️ Over 50% of the global population lives in areas experiencing severe impacts from biodiversity loss, water scarcity, food insecurity, and climate change. ➡️ Nature-dependent sectors account for $58 trillion annually—more than 50% of global GDP—but we’re incurring up to $25 trillion annually in external costs due to unsustainable practices in fossil fuels, agriculture, and fisheries. ➡️ Meanwhile, the private sector generates $5.3 trillion annually in activities that directly harm biodiversity, and public subsidies incentivizing damage total $1.7 trillion each year. Despite the challenges, solutions exist: ✔️ Protecting 30% of the world’s land, waters, and seas by 2030 could provide broad benefits if managed effectively for both people and nature. ✔️ Urban nature-based solutions—like green spaces and wetlands—help cities tackle heat, pollution, and water quality issues while also improving health. ✔️ Indigenous Peoples and local communities offer proven models for conserving biodiversity sustainably, such as reduced deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon after securing tenure rights. The stakes are high, but so are the opportunities. By shifting investments, leveraging equitable and integrated solutions, and fostering cross-sector collaboration, we can close the $1 trillion annual financing gap for biodiversity—and bridge the broader $4 trillion gap for SDG goals. Let’s rise to the challenge and create a future where biodiversity thrives, economies prosper, and no one is left behind! I'll be doing more analysis and discussion in the coming days of the 70+ solutions laid out in the report. So watch this space! Check out the report: https://lnkd.in/dux3zajy #Sustainability #IPBES #Biodiversity #Nature #SustainableFinance #Innovation

🌳 17.6%: Terrestrial areas currently protected 🌊 8.4%: Marine areas currently protected 🏜 Twice the area of the U.S.: Additional land needed to meet the 30% target 🐟 Larger than the Atlantic: Additional marine area needed by 2030 🌿 13.6%: Indigenous lands, which, if recognized, could help reach global targets 💰 $200 billion per year: Funding required by 2030 💲 23%: Funding shortfall for wealthy nations’ commitments 🤝 8.5%: Protected areas that are interconnected According to the "Protected Planet Report 2024," released this week by the UN Environment Programme’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), 17.6% of terrestrial and 8.4% of marine areas are now formally protected on paper. These figures show the world is still far from the “30x30” target if the focus remains solely on official protected areas—a gap that represents territory twice the size of the United States on land and a marine area larger than the Atlantic Ocean. However, the calculus changes if Indigenous peoples’ and local communities’ territories are recognized for their vital contributions to biodiversity conservation. These areas span an estimated 13.6% of the earth's land area. If acknowledged and integrated alongside existing protected zones, global terrestrial conservation could reach 31.2%—but only if such recognition respects Indigenous peoples' consent and governance, ensuring true co-management rather than token protection. Challenges do not end there. Less than half of the world’s nations have submitted concrete conservation targets, and fewer than 15% have detailed plans. Funding, unsurprisingly, remains a hurdle: while $200 billion per year is allocated by 2030, affluent countries still fall 23% short of their initial $20 billion commitment to developing nations. Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) offer an alternative approach, balancing biodiversity protection with sustainable local use. Beyond funding and policy, structural gaps persist. Only 8.5% of protected land areas are interconnected, which compromises wildlife mobility—a basic survival requirement as species adjust to shifting habitats in a warming world. Likewise, one-third of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) lack formal protection. Data, too, complicates the conservation landscape. Conservation groups continue to wrestle with tracking and sharing data on who manages these protected zones and their effectiveness. Emily Howland of the Protected Planet Initiative notes that without improved coordination, even the best-intentioned efforts risk falling short. Liz Kimbrough, Ph.D. reports: https://lnkd.in/gqBJacwH

Make a Splash Without The Trash. Bath time often feels like a standoff... parents on one side... squirming toddlers on the other. But what if those splashes and giggles could teach kids something bigger than just how to clean behind their ears? What if bath time actually taught kids about the planet they're going to inherit? Most kids' bath products are all foam, no substance. Wrapped in single-use plastic, they hit the landfill faster than your toddler can empty an entire bottle of shampoo onto the floor. Safety takes priority in kids' packaging, and rightly so. But why does it have to come at the expense of fun or the planet? This is where Bebo changes the game. Shampoo, soap, and lotion become playful, animal toys that you'll want to keep. An elephant bottle that makes bubbles, a panda soap bottle you can squish, a giraffe powder container that rattles, and a gorilla lotion dispenser that wobbles like a Roly Poly. Designs that make bath time less of a chore and more of an adventure. More than just fun, they spark something bigger. Small moments plant big ideas. Quiet lessons in how to care for the world. Refill a bottle. Turn off the tap. Learn about wildlife. Sustainability becomes second nature through bite-sized, hands-on experiences... perfect for little eco-warriors in training. Even the animal shapes have a purpose. Each representing an endangered species, transforming bath-time fun into conversations about conservation. A panda perched on the edge of the tub becomes a gentle nudge to care about its real-world struggles. One thing's for sure, kids absorb more than water in the bath. Show them that small choices make a big impact, and you're doing more than keeping them clean, you're helping shape thoughtful, responsible environmental stewards of the future. Sustainability isn't just about policies and boardrooms. It starts in the small, everyday moments. Today's giggles in the tub are tomorrow's changemakers, thinkers, and eco-leaders. So, the next time you're gearing up for the bath-time battle, think Bebo. It's fun, purposeful, and leaves a lasting impression in more ways than one. The perfect blend of play and purpose? 📷Monica Bhyrappa

As the world evolves, our educational approach must also adapt, inspiring stewardship and understanding of global challenges. I’ve crafted curriculum outcomes that blend primary school subjects with real-world activities, fostering curiosity and a proactive mindset in young learners. 1. The study of rainforests - Let’s build a classroom mini-rainforest to explore biodiversity and promote ecosystem conservation. 2. The study of writing letters - Let’s impact future policies by writing persuasive letters to leaders about environmental or social issues. 3. The study of insects - Let’s create a habitat for beneficial insects to promote local biodiversity. 4. The study of history - What can we learn from historical events to improve community cohesion and peace? 5. The study of the food chain - Let’s adopt a local endangered species and start a campaign to protect it. 6. The study of maps - Let’s explore the impacts of climate change on different continents using interactive map projects. 7. The study of basic plants - Let’s cultivate a garden with plants from around the world, focusing on their roles in sustainable agriculture. 8. The study of local weather - Let’s build weather stations to understand climate patterns and their effects on our environment. 9. The study of simple machines - Let’s engineer solutions to improve water and energy efficiency in our community. 10. The study of counting and numbers - Let’s analyze data on recycling rates and set goals for waste reduction. 11. The study of community helpers - Let’s explore how people around the world help improve community well-being and resilience. 12. The study of basic materials - Let’s investigate how everyday materials can be recycled or reused creatively in art projects. 13. The study of stories and fables - Let’s share stories from various cultures that teach lessons about community and cooperation. 14. The study of water cycles - Let’s design experiments to clean water using natural filters, learning about sustainable living practices. 15. The study of world populations - Let’s look at population distribution and discuss how urban planning can address housing and sustainability challenges. 16. The study of ecosystems - Let’s restore a small section of a local park, linking it to the role ecosystems play in human well-being. 17. The study of cultural studies - Let’s hold a festival to celebrate global cultures and their approaches to sustainable living. 18. The study of physics - Let’s discover renewable energy sources through simple experiments. These projects encourage real-world application, teamwork, and problem-solving, emphasizing the role of education in shaping informed, proactive citizens ready to face global challenges. This approach makes learning relevant and essential for today’s interconnected world. Which one will you try? #education #school #teacher #teaching

Biodiversity destruction is out of control in New South Wales. Yesterday, Chris Minns government released the NSW Biodiversity Outlook Report. It paints a dire picture. Here is what’s happening: - Biodiversity continues to fall across NSW on almost every measure; - Without intervention 50% of the state's 1000 or so listed threatened species will be extinct within a century; - Agriculture is the biggest contributor to land clearing. Clearing of woodland for agriculture grew 15 per cent in 2021 (with pasture for grazing the most common reason); - The government is yet to reverse controversial 2016 land-clearing laws; - The Alliance for Nature, an umbrella group of environmental organisations, last week estimated about 95,000 hectares of land and 100 million trees had been lost since the Minns government was elected; - NSW is the worst ranked state in the country for protecting and restoring trees; - The (only) good news is that 11.2 per cent of NSW is now conserved for permanent protection, up from 9.9 per cent in 2017. NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe says the decline is worrying but her government is trying to turn things around by adding land to national parks and private conservation agreements, reintroducing native species to areas of local extinction, and boosting environmental protection laws. Read the report: https://shorturl.at/boIJW https://lnkd.in/g8JQAVMS The Alliance for Nature is a coalition of leading environmental organisations working together to achieve the best possible outcomes for habitats and wildlife in NSW. It includes groups such as ifaw, National Parks Association of NSW Inc., Total Environment Centre, WIRES Inc, Nature Conservation Council NSW, The Wilderness Society. They have made a series of recommendations here: https://shorturl.at/imGN1 Read the article via Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) Australia: https://shorturl.at/dfhP0 #climatechange #environment #deforestation #wildlife #nature

🚨 Will open data + AI make biodiversity/nature reporting platforms obsolete—or force them to reinvent themselves? AI and the emergence of open source & open data platforms like the Nature Data Public Facility (NDPF) threaten the business models and relevance of commercial platforms facilitating regulatory reporting on biodiversity. The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) is currently exploring the modalities and business model for a Nature Data Public Facility. Built with data providers, it will in the end make it easier to access existing free datasets (but also to pay for some centralized data). A pilot is ongoing and will run until October to: - define nature-data principles - test the quality of nature data layers - identify data gaps - identify a set of design specifications for the future platform Once NDPF is live, these structured, tagged geographic datasets will be perfect fuel for AI — uncovering patterns, speeding up analysis, and helping interpret massive amounts of data. But here’s the challenge: 👉 Many start-ups in the biodiversity reporting space (see “Act / Reporting & Management” category in The NatureTech Memos / Ollie Potter) add value by linking corporate data to those scattered datasets. If NDPF + AI lower that barrier, their business models could be under real pressure. Will these platforms lose relevance, or can they pivot to higher-value services (e.g. assurance, decision-support, deeper integration into finance workflows)? 💬 I’d love to hear from: - Users of biodiversity reporting platforms → what keeps you loyal? - Founders/operators → how are you preparing for this shift? - TNFD/NDPF pilot participants → what’s your vision for coexistence between open platforms & private solutions?

Sustainability Reporting Cheat Sheet 🌍 Effective sustainability reporting requires clarity, structure, and alignment with globally recognized standards. This cheat sheet offers a practical overview of best practices to strengthen ESG disclosures and meet evolving stakeholder expectations. Start by selecting the appropriate reporting frameworks. Align with recognized standards such as GRI, ISSB, SASB, CDP, and TCFD. Clearly document why each framework is used and ensure alignment with regulatory requirements including CSRD guidelines. Materiality assessments should be periodic and methodologically sound. Use diverse stakeholder engagement methods such as interviews, surveys, and workshops. Clearly explain how stakeholder input informs both strategy and reporting decisions. ESG goals and targets must be science-based, measurable, and time bound. Present historical data, disclose methodologies, and track progress regularly to ensure transparency and accountability in performance management. Robust data management is foundational. Establish systems for data collection, define roles and responsibilities, and ensure consistency of metrics year over year. Third party assurance can add credibility to reported data. Governance structures must support sustainability efforts. Describe how ESG oversight is embedded into board and management roles, decision making processes, and enterprise risk management. Link executive incentives to ESG outcomes when applicable. Climate disclosure should include Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, scenario analysis, transition plans, and risk assessments. Ensure alignment with TCFD recommendations to meet investor expectations and regulatory pressures. The supply chain requires clear ESG integration. Report supplier selection criteria, assessments, and traceability practices. Share data on improvements and strategic collaborations to address key supply chain risks. Effective reporting is clear, factual, and accessible. Define reporting boundaries, use consistent terminology, and ensure readers can easily navigate the content across digital platforms. Clarity and comparability are key. #sustainability #sustainable #esg #business

🌍 The Climate Bill: Paying for Our Past, Securing Our Future 🧾 We're facing a critical moment in human history. The "bill" for our past actions - decades of environmental neglect, resource abuse, and unsustainable practices - has come due. The consequences of these actions are escalating rapidly, exacerbating climate issues and ecological degradation. We can no longer afford to ignore these problems. The moral imperative is clear: we must act decisively now, or face dire consequences for our planet and future generations. 🚨 A recent Bloomberg Businessweek article, "The Brutal Economics of Reaching Net Zero," quantifies this challenge in stark terms. The transition to net-zero emissions by 2050 is estimated to cost between $215 trillion and $275 trillion - a staggering 8.8% of global GDP in the near term. By 2030, we need to triple renewable energy output, increase electricity's share of energy consumption to 30%, and halt deforestation. The urgency is palpable. Each year of delay adds $1.3 trillion to the overall cost. Inaction risks triggering climate tipping points, potentially leading to the extinction of over 20,000 species and exposing a billion people to flooding from rising seas. 🌊🌡️ The article highlights the immense challenge of reaching net-zero. It requires revolutionary progress across multiple sectors simultaneously, from energy and transportation to agriculture and industry. The scale and speed of change needed are unprecedented in peacetime history. ⚡🚗🌾 However, the article also presents a more hopeful perspective. About two-thirds of the required spending can be redirected from the declining fossil fuel system, suggesting that a significant portion of this "bill" can be paid by reallocating existing resources rather than finding entirely new funding. 💰 Moreover, this enormous expenditure isn't just a cost; it's framed as an "extraordinary investment in a new energy system." This transition promises to create profitable industries, generate jobs, and potentially lower energy costs for consumers in the long run. The article draws parallels to past technological revolutions that created entirely new economic sectors. 🏭👷 The piece emphasizes the need for rapid technological advancement, comparing it to the breakthroughs achieved during World War II. With 35% of emissions reductions needing to come from technologies still in early development, we're looking at a period of potentially transformative innovation. The article suggests this could lead to advances in fields like renewable energy, energy storage, and carbon capture that could have wide-ranging benefits beyond climate mitigation. 🚀🔬 As we confront this monumental challenge, I ask: How can we reframe climate action from a burden to an opportunity for innovation and growth? And what responsibility do we bear to future generations in addressing the consequences of our past actions? 🤔 #ClimateAction #NetZero #SustainableFuture