PRESS RELEASES

INSIGHTS

EVENTS

A new partnership in Southern Africa to reinforce the role of IP&LCs in the development of high-integrity nature credit markets

February 2026

IAPB is pleased to announce a new partnership with African Community Conservationists (ACC) which aims to ensure that Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IP&LCs) perspectives, priorities, and rights are meaningfully integrated into advances on the design of high-integrity nature credit markets in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Grounded in community-based natural resource management systems, the partnership will facilitate structured participation of community conservancies, traditional authorities, and local institutions in policy and market development processes in Southern Africa.

Through this collaboration, ACC and IAPB will bring forward the voices, governance realities, and lived experiences of communities across the region, advising on tenure systems, livelihoods, and safeguards essential for credible and equitable market design. The partnership will also promote the application of Free, Prior and Informed Consent principles and support the integration of community-generated monitoring data and local knowledge into analytical and policy outputs.

Together, IAPB and ACC are working to ensure that emerging nature credit markets in Southern Africa are science-based, inclusive, and aligned with community rights and stewardship systems.

IAPB and SFC are launching the SADC Regional Lab to Support Regulated and High-Integrity Nature Credit Markets in Southern Africa

IAPB is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with the Sustainable Finance Coalition to launch the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Regional Lab on Nature Credit Markets.

The Regional Lab aims to support governments, regulators, and market actors across the Southern African Development Community in developing regulated, integrated, and high-integrity nature credit markets. Building on IAPB’s Framework for High-Integrity Biodiversity Credit Markets and SFC’s Biodiversity Credits African Buyers Club, the initiative will combine policy guidance, financial innovation, and regional engagement to unlock sustainable finance for nature-positive outcomes.

The Lab will work closely with the SADC Secretariat, national governments, financial institutions, and private sector actors to strengthen jurisdictional frameworks, shape demand for high-integrity credits, and clarify pathways for integrating nature credits into financial systems. It will also provide hands-on support, analytical tools, and tailored capacity building to address practical market design and implementation challenges.

Through this collaboration, IAPB and SFC aim to anchor science-based standards, sound governance, and inclusive market principles at the core of emerging biodiversity credit markets in Southern Africa, ensuring that private finance is mobilised in ways that support long-term ecological resilience and sustainable economic development in the region.

IAPB launches its Nature Credit Policy Forum at UNFCCC COP30 in Belém

Date: 15 November 2025

The International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits (IAPB) has launched its Nature Credit Policy Forum at a reception co-hosted with the Government of Indonesia at UNFCCC COP30.

We are delighted to welcome Indonesia, France and the United Kingdom as the first governments to join the Policy Forum, signalling momentum for coordinated and credible approaches to scaling nature credit markets worldwide.

His Excellency Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq commented: 'Indonesia is delighted to participate in the Policy Forum. With shared vision and collective action, we can ensure that these credits uphold the highest environmental integrity while empowering communities and restoring nature.'

Marianne Haahr joins IAPB as its new Executive Director

Date: 15 July 2025

The International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits (IAPB) has appointed Marianne Haahr as its new Executive Director following an extensive, global search process.

Marianne is currently the Director, Nature-related Finance at Global Canopy and the Technical Sector Guidance Lead with the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD). Previously she was the Executive Director of the Green Digital Finance Alliance and an Advisor to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Denmark on digitalisation in emerging market finance.

Marianne Haahr will join as IAPB’s Executive Director on September 1st. An expert in Nature finance, she will be responsible for overseeing IAPB’s continued growth as it ensures high integrity Nature markets deliver for people and planet.

IAPB welcomes continued French-UK support

Date: 11 July 2025

Yesterday the French and UK governments announced that they will each be committing funding to help drive the next chapter of the International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits - supporting the initiative as it works globally to unlock finance and build trusted markets that benefit people and the planet.

Both countries, as endorsed by President Macron and His Majesty King Charles III, have been strong supporters of IAPB’s work since its launch in June 2023 and will continue to provide foundational backing as IAPB enters its next phase of growth.

The commitment of up to €580,000 and £500,000 respectively, in addition to in-kind resource, will support IAPB’s mission to accelerate the development of high integrity biodiversity credit markets.

IAPB at the Blue Economy & Finance Forum

Blue Economy & Finance Forum (BEFF)

IAPB received strong endorsement at the Monaco Blue Economy & Finance Forum (BEFF) last week. The co-Chairs spoke at a plenary session on Blended Finance, where they announced IAPB’s transition to an independent entity and set out details of our workplan leading up to COP30 in Belem.

In his speeches at both events, President Macron praised the rigor and credibility of IAPB’s Framework, noting that it offers a more grounded and trustworthy model than many approaches in the carbon markets

He also highlighted the work of IAPB’s partner pilot projects in channelling investment and accelerating the transition to a nature-positive future. He specifically referenced pilots working in marine ecosystems, ranging from seagrass meadows in Kenya and Australia, to coral reefs in the Philippines and mangroves in the UAE. and underscored the potential of nature credits as meaningful tools for financing nature restoration and conservation.

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A new chapter for IAPB

IAPB secures philanthropic funding and operational independence as it builds on its Framework to ensure high integrity Nature markets deliver for people and planet

The International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits (IAPB), a global initiative originally launched by the governments of France and the United Kingdom is entering a new chapter in its mission to accelerate the development of high-integrity biodiversity credit markets.

Building on the momentum of IAPB’s Framework and with thanks to generous philanthropic support the IAPB is moving to operate as a fully independent legal entity outside government. While we continue to benefit from the foundational support of the governments of France and the United Kingdom, this enables us to stand on our own two feet — and we warmly invite other countries to join us in this global effort to protect and restore Nature.

This transition marks a significant milestone in the IAPB’s journey. With our operationally independent status confirmed, we are moving full speed ahead with our ambitious work programme for the summer and the year ahead, including contributions to COP30 and beyond.

This includes plans for a Policy Lab to support governments with enabling policy and regulation environments that are essential to scale markets with high integrity and at pace, a Community of Practice already underway to facilitate knowledge sharing between a wide group of projects around the globe (across 22 countries), and continued work to build on our guidance and standards for high integrity markets.

We are pleased that a great many of the original Panel members and other partners will continue to be involved in the next phase of the initiative. We look forward to working with them, alongside new faces - in particular IPs and LCs, NGOs and scientists as well as businesses and governments.

This next phase is more than a continuation — it is a scaling up of ambition, reach, and impact.

IAPB launches its Community of Practice

IAPB Community of Practice

On 26 February, IAPB launched its community of practice, building on existing collaboration between IAPB and the 30+ pilot projects we first assembled at COP16 in Cali.

This forum brings together practitioners to share learnings and insights on how their projects are implemented on the ground, enable productive exchanges between project developers, including feedback-giving and sharing of methodologies, and support practical application of IAPB’s Framework guidance and High-Level Principles for high integrity biodiversity credit markets.

The group’s inaugural meeting focused on the topic of high integrity measurement and shone a light on the latest developments and cutting-edge innovation that is helping to underpin rigorous, verifiable and high-quality measurement of credits and their outcomes. The session was introduced by IAPB’s co-chairs Dame Amelia Fawcett and Sylvie Goulard. David Craig also shared insights on how IAPB's Measurement Working Group has tackled this important topic, including by publishing a set of core design criteria.

The meeting was attended by over 40 individuals and organisations and featured presentations by the Wildlife Conservation Society, CreditNature and CDC Biodiversité on their ongoing work to embed high integrity measurement in project design and delivery.

Press Coverage

Op-eds on IAPB's Framework

On 28 October the International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits (IAPB) launched its Framework for high integrity biodiversity credit markets. IAPB’s Panel members have authored a number of op-eds discussing the potential of biodiversity credits and credit markets in mobilising capital towards Nature conservation and restoration, helping to change the relationship of corporates and financial markets with Nature and better supporting Nature’s stewards.

Read the Comment from Alexandre Antonelli, Robert Calcagno, Pauline Nantongo Kalunda and Ximena Rueda in Nature
Read the op-ed from Chief Almir Narayamoga Suruí and Simon Zadek in Project Syndicate
Read the op-ed from Ilona Szabo de Carvalho in Folha de S. Paulo
Read the op-ed from Mariana Sarmiento and Simon Zadek in Cambio

Please join the IAPB Network or follow us on LinkedIn to receive updates on our work and invites to events.

IAPB is pleased to announce a new partnership with African Community Conservationists (ACC) which aims to ensure that Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IP&LCs) perspectives, priorities, and rights are meaningfully integrated into advances on the design of high-integrity nature credit markets in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Grounded in community-based natural resource management systems, the partnership will facilitate structured participation of community conservancies, traditional authorities, and local institutions in policy and market development processes in Southern Africa.

Through this collaboration, ACC and IAPB will bring forward the voices, governance realities, and lived experiences of communities across the region, advising on tenure systems, livelihoods, and safeguards essential for credible and equitable market design. The partnership will also promote the application of Free, Prior and Informed Consent principles and support the integration of community-generated monitoring data and local knowledge into analytical and policy outputs.

Together, IAPB and ACC are working to ensure that emerging nature credit markets in Southern Africa are science-based, inclusive, and aligned with community rights and stewardship systems.