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Washington DC, February 11, 2015: Forest Trends, a GEF-supported organization has received the prestigious 2015 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions for “bringing the value of forests into the modern economy.”
The MacArthur Foundation Award recognizes “exceptional non-profit organizations who have demonstrated creativity and impact, and invests in their long-term sustainability with sizable one-time grants.” For almost 20 years, Forest Trends has worked on developing market-based financial approaches to conservation that put real economic value on benefits from nature.
For the GEF, this means a recognition of its cutting edge value as a risk-taker; investing in ideas and actions from the pilot stage that become widely recognized trend-setters. “We congratulate Forest Trends, and are proud to have played a modest role in supporting its innovative approach dating back to 1998”, said Gustavo Fonseca, Director of Programs at the Global Environment Facility. “Forest Trends occupies a unique niche among NGOs in that it is laser-focused on finding market solutions to nagging problems that have plagued the conservation community for decades” he said.
As Michael Jenkins, President and CEO of Forest Trends said, “[The Award] recognizes our efforts to build a different institutional model, staying small and nimble while addressing issues that need both local and global strategies. This forces us by design to seek collaborations and to play a role of connective tissue among all necessary partners: government, businesses, financial institutions, environmental groups, and indigenous communities. We believe this is the most powerful and sustained pathway to bring environmental conservation into business and governmental decisions.”
: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5tQPIWBZaY
About Forest Trends:
Forest Trends is a Washington D.C.-based international non-profit organization that was created in 1998 by leaders from conservation organizations, forest products firms, research groups, multilateral development banks, private investment funds and philanthropic foundations. Our mission is four-fold: to expand the value of forests to society; to promote sustainable forest management and conservation by creating and capturing market values for ecosystem services; to support innovative projects and companies that are developing these markets; and to enhance the livelihoods of local communities living in and around those forests. We do this by analyzing strategic market and policy issues, catalyzing connections between forward looking producers, communities and investors, and developing new financial tools to help markets work for conservation and people. Our approach integrates the fundamental dimensions of ecology, economy and equity because our goal is to have an impact on a scale that is meaningful globally and for a diverse set of stakeholders.