Stefanie Simpson

Stefanie Simpson is the Coastal Climate Program Manager for The Nature Conservancy’s Global Teams. She supports TNC’s region and country programs to develop climate finance market mechanisms that support coastal wetland restoration and conservation. Stefanie works to develop blue carbon market tools and projects and advocates for the inclusion of coastal wetlands into climate policies and GHG inventories.Prior to TNC Stef worked for the EPA’s Office of Water, Restore America’s Estuaries, and South Carolina’s ACE Basin NERR. She is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Philippines 2010-12) with her BS in Biology from Clemson University and MS in Environmental Science from the College of Charleston. In her spare time she loves hiking, traveling, and cooking.

Turneffe Blue Carbon and Resilience Credits project

The island of Turneffe, which sits off the coast of Belize City, is home to more than 27,000 acres of mangroves. Though some of this area is under national protection, about 7,000 acres are privately owned and additional hectares are leased out for use, leaving mangrove habitats at risk of degradation and deforestation. Some private landowners have already begun to deforest for coastal development. TNC Belize is working with the local management body, Turneffe Atoll Sustainability Association (TASA), to engage with landowners for carbon project development, following guidance from a completed feasibility study. Several large landowners are interested in working with TNC to develop sustainably and participate in carbon project development, but several data gaps remain before TNC can realize this goal.