WWF Tropical Forest Challenge Winners

WWF Switzerland Tropical Forest Challenge 2012

ImprintDecember 2012

Ennovent GmbHNeubaugasse 11/141070 Vienna, Austria

Tel.: +43 (1) 2365859-20E-Mail: [email protected]

3W W F S w i t z e r l a n d T r o p i c a l F o r e s t C h a l l e n g e 2 0 1 2

Index

Introduct Ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3

WInnerCompa ny . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5

startup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7

F Ina l IstsCompa ny . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-11

startup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-15

JuryCompa ny . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

start up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Ide a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

e xpertsForestry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-21

de velopment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22-23

Bus Iness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24-25

partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26-27

org anIzers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

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BackgroundAlthough tropical rainforests cover only 6% of the earth’s land surface, they remain an important global center of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Specifically, tropical forests play a key role in sequestering and storing carbon, controlling diseases and facilitating pollination.

Tropical forests also provide important resources to the communities who live in their midst. They allow for the sustainable exploitation of non-timber forest products such as fruits, medicinal plants or herbs, which is critical for the income generation abilities of local communities and survival of mankind as a whole.

WWF Switzerland is committed to conserving the world’s tropical forests, not only for the incredible wealth of biodiversity, but also for the benefit of people.

With this in mind, WWF Switzerland launched the Tropical Forest Challenge. The objective of this exciting initiative was to discover the best for-profit solutions from around the world in two categories - company and startup - that have a positive impact on tropical forest biodiversity. The Challenge used the Ennovent network to crowdsource relevant solutions through social media and partners. Ennovent, a company that accelerates sustainable innovations for low-income markets, managed the Tropical Forest Challenge on behalf of WWF Switzerland.

IntroductIon

A search for the best for-profit solutions that conserve tropical forest biodiversity.


a Bout the ch a llengeThe WWF Switzerland Tropical Forest Challenge was launched in May 2012. 306 ideas*, startups and companies were nominated for the Challenge, of which 74 solutions applied until the application period closed on September 30, 2012. Applicants represented the geographies of Latin America, Africa, South East Asia and beyond and gathered an impressive 2,300 votes in total from the public.

After the completion of public voting, a panel of 31 experts assessed the forest biodiversity and development impact as well as overall business value of the applications. The top applications in each category were then further evaluated by three jury panels, each comprising of select forestry, development and business experts. The jury members identified four finalists and one winner in each category after this thorough review and screening process.

re wa rdsThe winners of the Tropical Forest Challenge are endorsed by WWF Switzerland as the best for-profit solution and will also receive in kind rewards, including:

• Global visibility: high-quality publication, online promotion

• Network opportunities: introductions to investors, high-profile event passes

• Capacity building: access to renowned experts, training courses

WWF Switzerland is pleased to include herein a detailed overview of the winners of the Tropical Forest Challenge – their innovations, impact and long-term plans. Congratulations to the winners of the WWF Switzerland Tropical Forest Challenge!

We would like to extend our heartiest thanks to the applicants, nominators, jury, experts, partners and well wishers of this challenge!

*The jury and experts did not select a winner or finalists from the limited applications in the Idea category as they did not meet

the winning criteria. Therefore, this category has been withdrawn.

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RuNA LLC

locatIon: Ecuadorsector: Agroforestry, Beverage IndustryWebsIte: www.runa.org

runa creates livelihoods for indigenous farmers in the ecuadorian amazon by creating markets for indigenous products, including guayusa tea. collectively, runa envisioned a business that could share this rich-tasting tea–a business that would respect cultural traditions and support small farmers.

ProBlemIndigenous communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon are caught in a cycle of poverty and environmental degradation, driven by centuries of extractive industries, colonization, and cultural prejudice. Dedicated primarily to subsistence farming, local smallholder farmers have few sustainable opportunities to earn income and cover basic costs of living in an increasingly globalized world.

The supply chains for cash crops are designed to disfavor smallholder producers and limit their potential for economic development and self-determination. With decreasing amounts of land and limited access to markets, indigenous farmers are forced to abandon their farms or intensify agricultural production – which further degrades communal forest reserves.

solut ionRuna creates income-generating markets for small farmers through an ancient tea called guayusa. Guayusa is a naturally caffeinated holly leaf tea from the Ecuadorian Amazon that indigenous communities have revered and consumed for thousands of years.

Runa manages a vertically integrated supply chain for guayusa between Ecuador and the united States, utilizing a Fair Trade mechanism to unite the priorities of income generation, cultural preservation and sustainable management of natural resources.

To do so, Runa organizes small farming families to grow guayusa in organic agroforestry systems. The company then creates economic incentives for sustainable management of natural resources and rainforest conservation

WInner Company


by purchasing guayusa at a guaranteed minimum price from the farmers. Runa’s market-based approach creates the opportunity to be a self-sustaining organization, and prove that consumer dollars can act as a force for positive social change and environmental conservation.

imPactRuna’s approach is generating earned income for indigenous farming families. Impressively, since inception the company has generated over $100,000 of direct income to over 2,000 farming families. This is a per-farmer increase of 30% over previous income levels.

Recognizing the importance of preserving tropical forest biodiversity, Runa plants more trees and facilitates the organic certification process for agroforestry plots. To date, Runa has planted over 150,000 trees, helping to regenerate precious tropical forest lands.

Finally, Runa supports community development projects and the growth of the Guayusa Farmers Cooperative - an organization created by the farmers to work toward their own vision of sustainable development in the Amazon. The company has granted two MBA scholarships to date and donated over $10,000 to the Cooperative’s Social Premium Fund.

t yler g ageco-Founder, c o-ceoTyler has spent the last five years working with indigenous communities in the Amazon developing Fair Trade initiatives and cultural preservation programs. Tyler has been awarded a Rainer Arnhold Fellowship for Social Enterprise in recognition of his work building Runa.

da n m accomBieco-Founder, c o-ceoDan has diverse experiences in conservation, public policy, and organizational development and management. He graduated from Brown university in 2008 where he participated actively in local community movements, including leading a state-level legislative initiative and being on the board of two national non-profits.

Since inception in 2009, Runa has generated over $100,000 of direct income to over 2,000 farming families and planted over 150,000 trees.

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PLANTING EMPoWERMENT

locatIon: Panamasector: Forestry WebsIte: www.plantingempowerment.com

planting empowerment develops agroforestry projects that are managed to deliver financial, social and environmental benefits. to date, planting empowerment has planted 27,500 trees and ensured that farmers are earning 45% more income.

ProBlemSubsistence agriculture represents a major driver of deforestation throughout Latin America – yet also ensures the livelihoods of many low-income rural communities. Large scale forest plantation companies accelerate deforestation by buying up deforested land, planting a monocrop of a single tree species and divorcing small landholders from their principle asset and future economic benefit. Local communities have the desire to manage their land both more sustainably and more profitably, but often lack the capital and technical skill to do so.

solut ionThrough sustainable forestry projects, Planting Empowerment is providing alternative income streams for indigenous and small landholder communities who traditionally have survived through slash and burn agriculture.

Instead of purchasing land like the majority of forestry companies, Planting Empowerment leases from indigenous communities and small landholders to encourage land tenure. The leases assist with income generation and provide an incentive to actively participate in the project.

Additionally, indigenous community members and small landholders acquire hands-on forestry management skills and traditional classroom knowledge, financed by Planting Empowerment. After the first plantation cycle ends, the land lease partners will have the capital (from profit sharing) and technical capacity to manage their own agroforestry plots, but with complete ownership.

WInner startup


imPactTo date, Planting Empowerment is employing two Panamanians full-time at an above-average wage and full benefits, and sponsoring formal forestry training for one full-time employee. Factoring in profit sharing, the organization’s smallholder land lease partners are earning roughly 45% more for land leased to Planting Empowerment than the business-as-usual scenario.

Planting Empowerment has planted 27,500 trees (25 hectares) of at least eight different species which have sequestered approximately 540 tons of Co2 to date.

da mion crostonco-Founder & d i rec tor o f opera t ionsDamion Croston joined the Peace Corps in 2003 working with indigenous communities in Panama’s Darién Province on regional tourism circuit, the creation of a community-run technology center, and a local artisan store. Croston received a BS and an MA from ohio university in 2009.

a ndre w Pa rruccico-Founder & d i rec tor o f marke t ingAndrew Parrucci entered the Peace Corps in 2004 where he worked with community leaders to design two small aqueducts and led fundraising efforts with international NGos and the Panamanian government. Parrucci holds a BS in Product Design from Virginia Tech.

chr is me yerco-Founder & genera l managerChris Meyer consults Amazonian indigenous leaders on deforestation and conservation policy with the Environmental Defense Fund. Previously, Chris worked as a Peace Corps Volunteer for two years. Meyer holds a BBA in Finance, university of Portland and an MA in International Relations at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

a ndre w wulFco-Founder & d i rec tor o f specia l i n i t ia t i vesAndrew Wulf arrived to Panama with the Peace Corps in mid-2003 as an economic development volunteer where he worked with rural farmers in agricultural business development and computer center construction. Wulf holds a BA in International Economics from uCLA and an MBA from Thunderbird.

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CHICZAConsorcio Corporativo De Productores Y Exportadores En Foresteria, S.C. De R.L.

locatIon: Mexico, Australia, Chilesector: Agribusiness, FoodWebsIte: www.chicza.com

the chiclero consortium works to protect tropical forests through the harvesting, transformation and commercialization of chicle gum.

Much like other regions in the world, the rainforests of Mexico, with the tropical Ecuador system are an economically attractive resource for their owners. As a result, many forests are destroyed by farmers or extractive industries focused on the financial benefits from forests’ use.

The Chiclero consortium is a community forestry organization that brings farmers to the level of a technical and commercially productive organization. The consortium comprises of 46 cooperatives and 2,000 producers of gum that work with 1.3 million hectares to sustainably harvest, transform and commercialize Chicle gum in 4 flavours. The organization also promotes training opportunities for gum-producers and those along the value chain.

In the last 5 years through the joint effort of the tappers and the consortium, more than 7000 hectares of destroyed forest has been recovered and converted back to its original state. Moreover, the company has strengthened its social identity and generated fair economic resources through the promotion of over 1,500 jobs to create a condition of conservation over the long-term.

FInalIsts Company


ECoPLANET BAMBoo locatIon: Nicaragua and South Africasector: Forestry and Timber products, Bioenergy, PlantationsWebsIte: www.ecoplanetbamboo.com

ecoplanet bamboo addresses large-scale deforestation and increasing rural poverty through the use of responsible capital to develop commercial bamboo plantations as a sustainable alternative to timber.

Market trends demonstrate that a growing global middle class, combined with depleting forest resources, will drive higher economic returns for wood products in turn increasing pressure on the worlds’ remaining forests. Furthermore, rural poverty and limited options for economic diversification exacerbate forest degradation at the local level in many developing nations. Without providing a cost effective alternative fiber and addressing rural poverty, large scale deforestation will continue to occur.

EcoPlanet Bamboo addresses the above issues through the provision of a sustainable alternative to current sources of wood fiber, leveraging sustainably grown and harvested bamboo. Bamboo not only provides significantly more biomass per hectare than traditional plantation species, but it can be grown on degraded land. In addition, bamboo’s ecological growth patterns enable selective harvesting of culms, resulting in the regeneration of a fully functioning forest ecosystem despite annual harvesting.

EcoPlanet focuses on regions where extreme rural poverty is common as this is often where tropical deforestation is most prevalent. The company works at the local level to create jobs and provide livelihood diversification thereby reducing pressure on natural resource extraction and creating a bamboo based economy and self-sufficient communities.

Looking towards the future, EcoPlanet has developed high-tech laboratories for carrying out research and development into bamboo’s abilities as an alternative fiber, setting benchmarks for the industry’s global development.

Since the company began in 2010, EcoPlanet Bamboo has committed more than $40 million to plantation development and has reforested more than 6,000 acres of degraded land in areas of the world that have high rates of deforestation.

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RAINFoREST ExPEDITIoNS locatIon: Peru sector: Eco-tourism WebsIte: www.perunature.com

rainforest expeditions is an ecotourism company that operates three lodges, each adding value to the preservation of the conservations of amazon rainforest.

The Amazonian state of Madre de Dios in Peru, hosts one of the world’s great wildernesses with over 6 million hectares of protected forests. Specifically, the Tambopata National Reserve and the Bahuaja Sonene National Park regions are comprised of highly diverse lowland rainforest inhabited by a mosaic of indigenous peoples, long-established forest extractivists, migrant ranchers, farmers and miners. These industries, while important income drivers, are threatening the sustainability of the regions tropical forests.

Rainforest Expeditions specializes in connecting the economic benefits from the Amazon’s visitors, to the economic wellbeing of the land tenants through employment, supplier development and profit sharing. The company primarily achieves this through three lodges named Posada Amazonas.

The economic results of Posada Amazonas are substantial and have been estimated at uSD 5 million dollars since inception. over 80% of the community dividends have been distributed equally among the community shareholders, increasing incomes and improving livelihoods over the long-term.

In addition to the above, Rainforest Expeditions has perpetuated a strong commitment to the conservation and community management of forests in the 3,000-hectare communal reserve. The community reserve is adjacent to the Tambopata National Reserve, forming an extension to it.


WILDLIFE WoRkSlocatIon: kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroonsector: Carbon, REDD+WebsIte: www.wildlifeworkscarbon.com

Wildlife Works has pioneered the use of redd+ carbon credits to finance large-scale tropical forest conservation programs, rendering the forests more valuable intact than destroyed.

In kenya, as in many parts of the world, local employment opportunities are extremely limited. Caught in a cycle of poverty many farmers have no other option than to slash and burn native forests to provide important land for farming and income generation.

Acknowledging these challenges, Wildlife Works provides economic benefits to local forest communities through the development, implementation and monetization of REDD+ projects. one intrinsic principle that the organisation works upon is job creation; relevant jobs actively compensate communities for giving up agricultural expansion to generate an income, and as a result, reduce the need to destroy forestland for subsistence purposes.

Since inception, Wildlife Works estimates that in kenya alone 100,000 people have benefited directly from the organization’s work. In their flagship project in the kasigau Wildlife Corridor, 400 skilled jobs have been created in departments such as the eco-factory, screen-printing, soap making, eco-charcoal program and ranger team.

Through the locally managed Community Trust Fund, the surrounding communities have also benefitted significantly from improved water projects, classroom construction and school bursaries. Wildlife Works currently supports 750 students from secondary to university levels.

Wildlife Works has 200,000 ha under their direct conservation management in kenya and in Cameroon the company convinced the government to withdraw 440,00 ha of forest concessions from exploitative use. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, another 300,000 ha REDD+ project at Lac Mai Ndombe has also been recently validated. Wildlife Works anticipates to expand its successful business strategy to other African countries in the future.

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ECo-FuEL AFRICA locatIon: ugandasector: Energy, BiomassWebsIte: www.ecofuelafrica.com

eco-fuel africa trains low-income ugandan farmers to turn farm waste into clean burning fuel briquettes and organic fertilizers.

Traditionally, the vast majority of ugandans cook their food with charcoal or wood, both of which come from trees. As a result, the country’s forests are being decimated to provide fuel options for rural communities.

Eco-Fuel Africa teaches rural farmers to turn their agricultural waste into charcoal powder using locally made kilns. once the powder is made, Eco-Fuel Africa buys a portion directly from the farmers while the coarser portion is retained and used as organic fertilizers (biochar). The charcoal powder purchased from the farmers is then compressed into clean burning fuel briquettes which are healthier, longer-burning and 20% cheaper than charcoal.

In addition, Eco-Fuel Africa trains and empowers local women to sell the clean burning fuel briquettes in their communities. This creates an important additional income source and part of the proceeds from the sales is also invested into tree planting campaigns that replace forests that have already been lost.

Since inception over 1,500 farmers in uganda have begun using Eco-Fuel Africa kilns and processes, which has resulted in an average income of $30 per month from supplying charcoal powder; this is an increase of 100% from previous income levels. Furthermore, with improved fertilized soil, most Eco-Fuel Africa farmers have reported at least a 30% increase in their food harvests since they started applying bio-char to their soils.

Eco-Fuel Africa has over 3,500 families in uganda using clean burning fuel briquettes. Additionally, the company has also already created 100 new women entrepreneurs, earning an average of approximately uSD 1,825 per year.

FInalIsts startup


ECoTECH TIMBER locatIon: Sierra Leonesector: Forestry and EnergyWebsIte: www.ecotechtimber.com

ecotech timber is a natural resources management and renewable energy development company.

Land degradation is occurring at an alarming rate in Sierra Leone as a result of social and economic challenges that have led to persistent poverty. The ultimate loss of critical forest resources is threatening to further hinder local communities’ ability to survive and live in these areas due to the heavy reliance on these forests for products and services.

In response, EcoTech has developed a sustainable natural resource management and renewable energy program that provides real methodologies to address these complex development and environmental challenges. EcoTech utilizes available natural resources and applies innovative concepts in order to address broad scale environmental and social issues. Initial projects have included the protection of 87,999 hectares of high conservation value forests via a REDD+ program, a 12,000 ha agro-forestry system and an initial production of 7.5 megawatts of carbon-neutral biomass-fuelled power generation.

Importantly, EcoTech has received unprecedented support from local communities. For example, the company concluded a Memorandum of understanding Agreement for sustainable land use with all 14 Chiefdoms of the kono District – a district historically not known for such overwhelming cooperation. As a result, local leaders have helped educate and promote sustainable land use, including authorization of the use of forest wardens in community owned forests to curtail illegal wood harvesting, slash-and-burn agriculture and other unsustainable land-use practices. These efforts have already drastically reduced deforestation in the Gorama-kono forest region.

Additionally, EcoTech’s community outreach program works to not only educate local populations on sustainable land-use and other agro-forestry related technologies, but also to educate on topics such as gender equality, health, education and adult literacy. EcoTech will also employ over 350 people over the next year – in a region with over 80% unemployment EcoTech’s work is having a welcome positive impact on conservation efforts and beyond.

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FLoRESTA HoLDINGS LIMITED locatIon: Brazil and Indonesiasector: Forest Conservation, Timber Plantation, Renewable Energy WebsIte: www.floresta.com

the Floresta group designs, finances and develops two of the world’s largest forest carbon programs in Indonesia and brazil.

Government authorities in Acre and Aceh have demonstrated global leadership in trying to save their forests. However, opposition to pro-forest legislation is growing and threatens to rollback progress unless sufficient financial incentives for forest conservation are created.

Floresta’s eco-commerce model addresses the economics of land-use in tropical countries by creating sustainable and scalable financial incentives for private and public landowners to stop - and even reverse - deforestation. Floresta establishes mutually reinforcing public-private partnerships that integrate improved food, wood, and energy production through low-carbon farming, sustainable forest product supply chains, renewable energy and environmental services.

Floresta’s multi-functional landscape approach provides higher levels of return than traditional forest or agriculture investments while offering lower risks than most terrestrial carbon projects. This enables Floresta to mobilize the large-scale resources and high-level expertise required to permanently change tropical forest land-use for the better.

Since the company began in 2010, Floresta has made tremendous headway. The company has developed projects that can create more than 60,000 permanent green jobs in sustainable forestry and renewable energy, has established labor-intensive green industries, reduced dependence on expensive imported fossil fuels and conserved large tracts of peatland, highland and lowland forest ecosystems in the Amazon and East Pacific regions.


MAYA MouNTAIN CACAo locatIon: Belizesector: Agriculture, Agricultural Processing, International TradeWebsIte: www.mayamountaincacao.com

Maya Mountain cacao sources premium cacao from smallholder farmers for specialty chocolate makers, growing farmer income while preventing deforestation in southern belize.

The highly biodiverse tropical forests of southern Belize are currently facing serious ecological threats, including increased slash and burn agriculture from a growing population, looming industrialization of agricultural production through mono-crops such as oil palm, and the recent discovery of crude oil in the same region where most of the country’s cacao is grown, the Toledo District.

Beyond just agricultural threats, the Toledo District has the highest poverty rates in the country with nearly 70% of the population living at or below the poverty line. The combination of a rapidly growing population with high rates of poverty and the widespread use of unsustainable farming practices is negatively impacting Belize’s biodiversity and tropical rainforests.

Maya Mountain Cacao uses market access to create powerful change in Belize’s cacao industry. The company has introduced a competitive market for Belizean cacao bringing new services, ideas, pricing models and meaningful relationships to farmers, catalyzing a renewed interest in cacao farming and a vision of responsible industry growth.

Since Maya Mountain Cacao became operational 2 years ago, farmer income has grown as a result of rising prices and improved yields. Average farmer income from cacao grew over BZ$50 in 2012 – a small but meaningful increase that can be used to pay for a child’s education, invest in new tools for the farm, or to start saving for the future.

In addition, in 2012 Maya Mountain Cacao planted over 50,000 new cacao trees in partnership with smallholder farmers focused on converting lands previously used for slash-and-burn crops into agroforestry plots.

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cornel ius P ie t znermanaging d i rec tor - a l ter ra impac t F inanceCornelius Pietzner is CEo of Alterra Impact Finance GmbH, an impact investment firm in Zurich, focussing on sustainable European companies. He is also President of the Alterra Foundation, a Swiss charitable foundation. Among other achievements, he previously served as Chief Financial officer on the Executive Board at the Goetheanum, General Anthroposophical Society Switzerland. Cornelius holds a degree in Political Science from Williams College and was awarded a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship.

JeFFre y sayerdirec tor, deve lopment P rac t ice P rogram - James c ook univer s i t yJeffrey Sayer has worked for FAo and was a Senior Environmental Adviser at the World Bank. He was founding Director General of the Center for International Forestry Research in Indonesia. He is a member of the Science and Partnership Council of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research. Although he is a frequent guest lecturer in Holland, the united kingdom, united States and other countries, at present he is Professor of Conservation and Development at the James Cook university in Australia.

Pa mel a h a rt ig a ndirec tor - sko l l cen t re fo r soc ia l en t repreneurshipPamela Hartigan is Executive Director of the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at Said Business School at the university of oxford. She is also founding partner of Volans Ventures. Prior to starting Volans, Pamela spent eight years as the first Managing Director of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. Pamela is a graduate of Georgetown university’s School of Foreign Service in Washington, D.C., holds Masters’ degrees in Economics and Public Health and a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology.

rodne y taylordirec tor, Fores t s - w w F in terna t iona l Rod Taylor is the Director of WWF International’s Forests Program. Rod has worked with WWF for over ten years, with previous positions as Coordinator of the WWF/World Bank Forest Alliance and Coordinator of the Asia Pacific Forest Program. Before joining WWF, Rod worked as a forest policy adviser in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Rod began his career as a lawyer in Australia and has a Masters Degree in Environmental Law from the Australian National university.

Jury Company

20

Jason mollr inghead o f communi t ies - thomson reu ter s Foundat ionJason Mollring has expertise in business strategy, strategic communications and initiatives to support social ventures. Before joining Thomson Reuters Foundation, Jason spent over five years at unLtd, the Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs and prior to this he began his career in the Silicon Valley with technology and dot com start-ups. Jason has an MA in Social Enterprise Management from Liverpool Business School and a BA in Sociology from university of California, Santa Barbara.

m at thi as d iemerhead in terna t iona l P ro jec t s – w w F swi t zer landMatthias Diemer is currently the Head of the International Projects unit of WWF Switzerland and is also the owner/operator of Wildwerk, an enterprise that facilitates nature experiences. Matthias is the previous head of the Forestry unit at WWF Switzerland and has held lecturing roles at the university of Zurich as a leading forestry expert. He holds a BS from Western Washington university, an MS from the university of California-Berkley and a PhD from the university of Innsbruck.

nikol aus hut terdirec tor – ton i ic europeNikolaus Hutter is the Director Europe for Toniic LLC, a leading global impact investor network and he is also the co-founder of the Investment Ready Program, a capacity building program for social entrepreneurs in Central and Eastern Europe. Prior to this, Nikolaus worked 10 years as a venture capital investor. He completed International Business Studies in Vienna and Strasburg, and Political Economy at the London School of Economics

Jury startup


dunca n m acqueenPr inc ipa l researcher, na tura l resources g roup; team leader, Fores t - i i edDuncan Macqueen leads the Forest Team at the International Institute for Environment and Development where he has worked for the last 11 years. Prior to this, Duncan was the Deputy Program Manager of the British Government’s Forestry Research Program. Duncan has degrees in both Botany and Forestry and Land use and a two-year diploma in sustainable forest management.

i sa Belle lou isdirec tor, a s ia & Pac i f ic w w F in terna t iona lSince 1999 Isabelle Louis has been the Director of the Asia Pacific Program at WWF International. Before joining WWF, Isabelle was actively involved in teaching and research at the National university of Singapore and as a Post doctorate Fellow at Harvard university. Dr. Louis received her BSc and PhD from Sheffield university in the uk.

m a rc J Ventrescaeconomic soc io log is t in the s t ra tegy, innova t ion and marke t ing Facul t y - sa ïd Bus iness schoo l , univer s i t y o f ox ford and wol f son c o l legeMarc Ventresca’s research and teaching focus is on institutions, governance and market-building in the context of ecosystem services, social innovation, and higher education. Previously Marc served on faculty at the kellogg School of Management, among other leading global institutions. Marc holds a BA in political science/political philosophy, MAs in education policy and sociology and a PhD in political and organizational sociology, all from Stanford university.

Paul chengFounder – shared impac tPaul Cheng is the founder of SharedImpact, a charity whose mission is to improve the financial efficiency and effectiveness of charities and social enterprises. Paul is currently the Chair of the European Social Investment Taskforce, a high-level working group connecting Prime Ministerial offices throughout the European union. Previously Paul was the Head of CAF Venturesome, a corporate finance lawyer for Slaughter and May and also worked at Microsoft. He holds an MBA from The kellogg School of Management.

Jury idea

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experts forestry

a le x a nder watsonceo - open Fores t sAs a forestry investment expert and project manager for sustainable reforestation projects from Latin America and South East Asia, Alexander Watson has a broad experience in implementing and promoting international forestry projects.

Brya n hug illco-founder, ra i tong organics FarmBryan Hugill has worked at the field and policy levels in the public, private and non-profit sectors in South Africa, Switzerland, Italy, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam, uzbekistan and Jordan. He co-founded Raitong organics Farm in Thailand to service the rapidly growing organic agriculture movement.

chr ist i a n m a r z a r iFormer P rec ious woods manager in B raz i lChristian has established several large scale plantations of distinct crops, among others, quinine trees in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Eucalyptus in Brazil. For several years he managed the operations of a global leader committed to sustainable exploration of tropical forests in the Brazilian Amazon.

daV id cassellschair - r ecoF tcDavid Cassells has more than 40 years of management and research experience in tropical forest management and planning. He currently serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the James Cook university of North Queensland, Australia.

l aur i Vesaconsul t an t - Fores t inven tor y e xper t - Fores tca lc consul t ing oy l tdLauri Vesa has worked as an entrepreneur and in forestry expert positions in various African and Asian countries, as a project leader and a forestry expert and in a range of teaching posts in Finland. He currently works as a consultant for Food and Agriculture organization (FAo/Forestry Department) of the united Nations.


Patr ick Va n l a a k eindependent consul t an t Fores t r y & c l imate changePatrick Van Laake is an internationally recognized REDD+ expert. Working as Assistant Professor in Geo-information for Sustainable Forest Management from 2004 to 2009. In 2010-2011 Patrick worked for the united Nations as Senior Technical Advisor of the uN-REDD Vietnam Program.

ruth noguerona ssocia te - wor ld resources ins t i tu te Ruth Noguerón’s current work at the World Resources Institute focuses on developing practical information tools to support sustainable procurement of legally and sustainably-sourced wood-based products. Before joining WRI, Ruth worked at the Tropical Action Forest Program.

stePh a n wulFFr a atsenior fo res t & spec ies conser va t ion eco log is t - w w F indones ia . Stephan Wulffraat has a background in tropical forestry and landscape ecology and has been working with the World Wide Fund for Nature in Indonesia for 16 years. He coordinates and implements inventories and applied research work in natural areas throughout Indonesian Borneo.

t imoth y Boyleun-r edd regiona l coord ina tor- undPTimothy Boyle works to assist governments and other stakeholders to prepare for a new post-kyoto Climate Change mitigation financial instrument. Previously, he worked for uNDP, the Centre for International Forest Research in Indonesia and as a forest researcher and policy specialist in Canada.

tom Blomle ydirec tor - acac ia natura l resource c onsul t an t s l tdTom Blomley has over twenty years of development experience, of which fourteen have been spent living and working in East Africa. He has been responsible for designing, managing and implementing community based natural resource management programs, and integrated conservation and development projects.

We would like also to thank the representative from WWF Germany for his

contribution in the forest biodiversity impact evaluation.

24

experts development

a ndre as Peh a mdevelopment c onsul t an tAndreas Peham is an innovative consultant specializing in economic development of smallholders. Based on his experience as technical advisor and manager of multi million dollar projects, he guides value chain and microfinance initiatives.

Ben V ick ersregiona l P rogram o f f icer - un-r edd a t Fao regiona l o f f ice fo r a s ia and the Pac i f icBen Vickers has worked in the field of forestry in the Asia-Pacific region since 1996, focusing on the promotion of community-based forest management approaches through policy and practice. In recent years, he has worked on emerging forest and climate change issues at RECoFTC.

Br i a n Pen istonnepal and ind ia c ount r y d i rec tor- the mounta in ins t i tu teBrian has been working for The Mountain Institute in Nepal for the past 16 years. He has worked in conservation, livelihoods, climate change, integrated rural development, applied research and international health projects since 1975.

ca mel i a cheBBim a / m a s e t hz – univer s i t y o f Base lCamelia Chebbi directs the coordination office of the Master’s program in Sustainable Development at the university of Basel. Camelia has also worked for several years as department assistant at the Museum of Cultures.

Joh a n k ieF ttechnica l specia l is t sus ta inab le deve lopment and c l imate change – undPIn Johan kieft’s current assignment he mainly works on green growth and climate change mainstreaming in Planning. Previously he worked for GRM, CARE and as a volunteer in Indonesia.


k a r in el isa Be th l inde xecu t ive d i rec tor - Verdens skove / Fores t s o f the wor ld ( fo rmer nepenthes) karin Elisabeth Lind is the Head of the environmental and development NGo, Forests of the World. She specializes in strategic leadership and organisational development, as well as natural resource management. Previously she worked for CARE.

Ph il iP goodwinchie f e xecu t ive - t r ee a id ( uk )Prior to working with TREE AID, Philip Goodwin worked with the British Council where he was in charge of Global Programs. He had previously been Regional Director for both sub Saharan and East and West African operations as well as being a researcher on poverty issues at the overseas Development Institute.

r aghun a nda n Vel a nk a recologis t , l ive l ihood and nrm specia l is tRaghunandan is an ecologist and livelihood specialist who has previously worked with WWF India in the capacity of a co-ordinator for Sustainable livelihood and Governance. Trained at the Indian Institute of Forest management in Bhopal as well as the International Institute of Social Studies in Hague, he has worked extensively with grassroot communities to advance participatory biodiversity.

tom ca ll a ndersenior env i ronmenta l and soc ia l sc ien t is t - ear th sys temsTom Callander is Principal Environmental and Social Consultant with Earth Systems based in Vientiane, Lao PDR. Tom has over 10 years of experience working in Australia and Asia in environmental and social consultancy roles.

We would like to thank Christian Marzari for also participating as an expert in the

development impact evaluation round.

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experts business

daV id Bentdeput y d i rec tor, sus ta inab le Bus iness - Forum for the Fu tureDavid Bent leads the Sustainable Business Practice at Forum for the Future which helps leaders go further on sustainability. Previously he worked at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, where he became a Chartered Accountant, and he holds Masters in Responsibility and Business Practice from Bath university.

goPa l k r ishn aa ngel inves tor ( i nd ia )Prior to starting a community development initiative based on eco-tourism, Gopal was a Vice-President with Yahoo! for Emerging Markets. He had raised a seed stage venture capital fund and founded/co-founded 4 startups.

Just in F iermanaging d i rec tor - coulo i r g loba l inves tor sJustin Fier co-founded Couloir Global Investors in 2009 to focus on sustainable forestry investment in Africa. Before Couloir, he spent 14 years at Slocum—a uS institutional investment consultant—in various roles.

k a ren h itschk edirec tor Funds & inves tments - yunus soc ia l Bus inessPrior to YSB, karen was the Chief Financial officer at Affectis AG and an advisor to B-to-V in Switzerland. Before that, karen was an Investment Manager at Apax Partners and also consultant at Mckinsey & Co. karen holds an MBA from INSEAD, Fontainebleau, and a M.Sc. from the university of Constance.

l isa hehenBergerresearch d i rec tor – e V PaLisa Hehenberger is in charge of the knowledge Centre. Prior to embarking on an academic career, she worked in investment banking. Lisa has a PhD in Management from IESE Business School and a Master’s degree in Business and Economics from Stockholm School of Economics and HEC (CEMS).


m a rco F ischersenior research a na lys t - respons a bi l i t yMarco is responsible for country and market research as well as research projects in the areas of microfinance and fair trade. Marco previously worked for the Swiss government.

Ph il iPP me t tlerhead research - a lnua l tdPhilipp Mettler is a CFA and prior to his current role worked several years as a Senior Equity and Sustainability Analyst for SAM Sustainable Asset Management.

sa nJay a n a nda r a minves tment commi t tee member, ennoventSanjay has spent close to 25 years as an IT industry executive and an entrepreneur. He is a founding partner of JumpStartup, Neta Inc., and Venturekatalyst. Before Neta, Sanjay spent many years with Wipro.

shilPa Patelcl imate F inance e xper t , c onsul t an t to w r i ’s c l imate F inance and the P r iva te sec tor in i t ia t i ve.Shilpa is a climate finance specialist who works with CFPS. Previously, she worked at the IFC, the World Bank and Georgetown university. Shilpa received Bachelor and Masters degrees from the Wharton School at the university of Pennsylvania.

Va run sa hniFounder - impac t inves tment Par tner sVarun Sahni has 14 years experience in managing and investing in emerging markets. Prior to his current role, Varun was the India Director for the Acumen Fund. Varun is on uSAID’s healthcare leadership council in India, Indian School of Business’ Center for Emerging Markets Solutions, Ennovent Ventures Investment Committee.

We would like to thank Nikolaus Hutter for also participating as an expert in the

business value evaluation round.

28

ase iAsian Social Enterprise Incubator envisions a thriving ecosystem of sustainable enterprises and organizations engaged at the base of the pyramid in South East Asia built on ASEI’s active incubation and consulting.

da lBergDalberg is a strategic advisory firm that works to raise living standards in developing countries and address global challenges.

goodcomPa ny VenturesGoodCompany Ventures is an umbrella organization that runs an accelerator program (GoodCompany Ventures), a physical incubator (GoodCompany Residency) and an advisory service (GoodCompany Beginnings).

groact ionGroAction works to accelerate social entrepreneurship around the globe through several key areas, including a global network of social entrepreneurs, businesses courses, interview sponsorships and fostering investor connections.

imPact in Vestment as i a ( i i x )IIx and Shujog are Social Enterprises (SEs) dedicated to creating vibrant social capital markets in Asia Pacific. IIx operates two capital-raising platforms tailored for SEs at various stages of growth: Impact Incubator™ and Impact Partners™ - and is developing a third-Impact Capital™.

k aosP ilots swit zerl a ndkaosPilots Switzerland - where creative leaders, social entrepreneurs and change makers go to school. For 20 years, the kaosPilot school in Aarhus, Denmark, has been training more than 650 young people to become creative leaders and change makers.

soci a le a rthSocialEarth is the leading source for news and information about social entrepreneurship. The company has over 170 contributors in 25 countries which cover the latest trends and provide thoughtful analysis on socially and environmentally conscious news.

susta in atoP i aSustainatopia is one of the largest events in the world for social, financial, and environmental sustainability, and is operated by sustainability consulting firm DVk, Inc.

partners


the a rth a Pl atFormThe Artha Platform is an online community dedicated to building relationships that minimize the costs of due diligence and enhance the efficiency of interactions between impact investors /donors, social entrepreneurs and capacity building support organizations working on or in India.

a ndeThe Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs is a global network of organizations that propel entrepreneurship in emerging markets. The network’s members provide critical financing and business support services to small and growing businesses that create positive economic, environmental and social impacts in developing countries.

the huB The HuB is a global network of spaces that inspire, connect and empower people to realize enterprising ideas for sustainable impact. Currently the HuB is present in more than 30 cities and connects over 5,000 members worldwide.

i t toThe International Tropical Timber organization is an intergovernmental organization promoting conservation, sustainable management, use and trade of tropical forest resources. Its members represent about 80% of the world’s tropical forests and 90% of the global tropical timber trade.

idesa mThe Institute for Conservation and Sustainable Development of Amazonas is a not-for-profit non-governmental organization that works in the coordination and execution of projects, research and scientific studies aimed at the conservation and sustainable development of the Amazon region.

the unre ason a Ble inst ituteThe unreasonable Institute’s objective is to accelerate internationally scalable solutions to the biggest global challenges of our time.

thomson reuters Foundat ionFor the winners and runners-up, Thomson Reuters Foundation has kindly offered to fast track applications to join the TrustLaw Connect pro bono programme. This service links social enterprises and NGos with top law firms that offer their legal services free of charge.

toni icToniic is an action-oriented impact investor network collectively seeking to place $100M into global social enterprise.

30

organIzers

The Tropical Forest Challenge was managed by Ennovent on behalf of WWF Switzerland.

w wF swit zerl a ndw w w.w w f.chWWF Switzerland’s mission is to stop the global destruction of the environment and to build a future in which people live in harmony with nature. To achieve this mission, WWF stands up for maintaining global biodiversity. WWF is further committed to reducing the use of natural resources to a sustainable level.

ennoVentw w w.ennovent .comEnnovent’s mission is to accelerate sustainable innovations for low-income markets. Ennovent works with a global community to discover, start up, finance and scale up the best innovations.

Photo Credits

All images used in this publication are credited here. Permission to copy these images must be obtained from the original source.

Cover page © Staffan Widstrand/WWF-Canon, P1 © Credits pending, P2 © Runa LLC, P3 © CHICZA, P4 © Runa LLC, P6 © Planting Empowerment, P8 © CHICZA, P10 © Rainforest Expeditions, P11 © Wildlife Works, P12 © Ecofuel Africa, P13 © Ecotech Timber, P14 © Floresta Holdings Limited, P15 © Maya Mountain Cacao, P16 © Runa LLC, all the other images are copyrights to their respective owners.

WWF Switzerland’s mission is to stop the global destruction of the environment and to build a future in which people live in harmony with nature. To achieve this mission, WWF stands up for maintaining global biodiversity. WWF is further committed to reducing the use of natural resources to a sustainable level.

WWF Switzerland

Hohlstrasse 110Postfach8010 Zürich

Tel.: +41 (0) 44 297 21 21Fax: +41 (0) 44 297 21 00E-Mail: [email protected]

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