Mongolian Extractive Industry Scenarios

Mongolia is a mineral-rich country with to-date poor natural resource governance.  As the country’s mineral reserves were mapped, international companies arrived with promises of vast wealth in exchange for lucrative and often non-transparent contracts.  Working with staff from the Natural Resources Governance Institute we designed and led a multi-stakeholder scenarios development exercise which identified four possible scenarios: 1) that extractive energy revenues would largely be captured by illegitimate actors; 2) that they would accrue to the state, but be spent largely on popular subsidies ; 3) that they would be reinvested, but primarily in the mining sector; and 4) that they would be invested to build a diversified economy.  Armed with the scenarios, civil society groups could press elected officials to make appropriate decisions and knew what to look out for in identifying poor choices.

Myanmar Biodiversity Fund

The Fund was designed under the UNDP-led GEF-funded “Strengthening Sustainability of Protected Area Management” project between 2015-2018 prior to the military coup.  The fund exists on paper and we hope when peace and democracy prevail that the fund will begin the critical work of funding protection for one of the world’s most important biodiversity regions.

Uganda Biodiversity Fund

Uganda is known as the “Pearl of Africa” and boasts one of the richest diversity in biota.  The Wildlife Conservation Society has identified no fewer than 45 key biodiversity areas across the country.  Though the government has a well-developed Biodiversity Strategy and experienced natural resources managers at all levels, the country faces an annual funding gap of at least US$80 million dollars.  The UBF was established as an national independent conservation trust fund to raise and invest money to reduce this gap.  Though young, the UBF aims to be “...the leading grant making institution in Uganda that awards grants to support national and community-based institutions, and individuals  involved in protecting and conserving Uganda’s rich biodiversity….”.   Our task was to assist the Board of Trustees to develop Bylaws and policies – on financial management, gift acceptance, fund management , personnel management and conflicts of interest – and orient them to their roles and responsibilities.

Chakwetu – the Tanzania Environmental Sustainability Trust

“Cha kwetu” essentially means “of us, ours”.  The Trust is being established for a number of reasons, one of which is to ensure that mitigation and offset funding associated with large scale development  (rail lines, pipelines, harbors…) truly implements the “Mitigation Hierarchy” of avoiding and minimizing environmental damage, then fully restoring affected areas and only then looking at environmental offsets focused on no net loss and net gain for critical species and habitats.