Global Climate Solutions Series: Nature-Based Solutions

In this Terra.do x Solutions Journalism Network Series, hear from a panel of experts implementing climate solutions in the Global South.

The term nature-based solutions (NBS) was adopted in 2008 by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which defined NBS as “actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural and modified ecosystems that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits.”

With the vast sums of money pouring into carbon markets and being directed to projects in the Global South, how do we ensure that efforts to preserve and cultivate nature work to the benefit of all, especially Indigenous Peoples, non-indigenous small farmers, and forest communities?

Moderator:

Helina Selemon is a science journalist for The Blacklight, reporting on public and environmental health, including climate, COVID-19, and gun violence. She is a 2023 Maynard 200 investigative fellow and 2024 Mellon Environmental Justice Journalism fellow. Her award-winning work on extreme heat and its link to gun violence earned her a Solutions Journalism Network Award. Helina also trains journalists in investigative research at CUNY's Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and for the Ida B. Wells Society and UC Berkeley.

Speakers:

Bernadette Arakwiye is a Senior Manager for WRI’s Land Restoration Programs in Africa, playing a key role in advancing the AFR100 initiative. She also chairs WRI's Africa Restoration Executive Team, guiding the Restore Local program. Bernadette holds a Ph.D. in Geography from Clark University and lives in Musanze, Rwanda, with her husband and two sons.

Dilafruz Khonikboyeva is the Inaugural Executive Director of Home Planet Fund and a conflict expert focused on civil war, climate, and resource conflicts. She previously served as a political appointee in the US Biden-Harris Administration and spent years with the Aga Khan Development Network. Dilafruz also advises the Climate Change Working Group for WCAPS.

Dr. Hassan Sachedina is the CEO of Sayari Earth and a pioneering conservationist in climate finance. He founded BioCarbon Partners, growing it into one of the world’s largest REDD+ developers, impacting over 230,000 people across 1.2 million hectares in Africa. With 25+ years of experience, including a PhD from Oxford, he now focuses on ocean carbon removal.