ALU SOWC and the Lions Club of Quatre Bornes launch

The first-ever Nature - Positive Roundtable

in Mauritius

Date: 24th January 2025
Venue: Labourdonnais Hotel, Caudan – Mauritius
Agenda

Highlights from the
Nature-Positive Roundtable

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Towards a Nature-Positive Economy - Thea Philip(Pollination)

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Blue Carbon Ecosystems as Nature-based Solutions: Setting the Scene for Mauritius – Dr. Sundy Ramah (Albion Fisheries and Research Centre)

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Insights from Nature Conservation Efforts in the UAE - Emirates Nature WWF

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Financing Considerations for Carbon Project Developers - Kishan Thakarshi (HSBC ESG Solutions Group)

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Carbon Sequestration Potential by Mauritian Native Forests and Biodiversity Co-Benefits – Dr F.B. Vincent Florens (University of Mauritius)

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Carbon Quality - The Mauritius Opportunity – Dr. Michael Musgrave (ALU School of Wildlife Conservation)

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The Conservation and Sustainability Centre for Africa – Richard Vigne (ALU School of Wildlife Conservation)

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Catalysing Change: Building A Regenerative and Sustainable Blue Economy Marketplace – Ariane Steins-Meier (Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance, ORRAA)

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Untapped Potential: Carbon and Biodiversity Credit Markets in the National Parks – S. Bhogun, K. Pynee, M.I.Z.A Sheik Abbass (Mauritius National Parks & Conservation Service)

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Opportunity

There is at present neither a voluntary nor a mandatory compliance carbon market in Mauritius. 

There is also the wider context of standards on Climate (e.g. Net Zero) and on Nature (TNFD principles, EU deforestation regulations) being rapidly imposed globally through market and regulatory pressures in/from major economies. Companies and economies across the world, including in the Global South, are increasingly forced to align to remain competitive. 

Independently of global market and regulatory pressures, the growing negative impacts of climate change are threatening key economic sectors in Mauritius. Coastal erosion is becoming acute and is accelerating. It has become a mortal threat for beach tourism, a vital industry for Mauritius in terms of revenue and employment. At the same time, important natural capital assets have been depleted such as native forests, mangroves, seagrass, tidal marshes, corals, contributing to catastrophic loss in biodiversity. Investing in these assets will help companies preserve both their long-term future and Nature. 

The roundtable on 24th January 2025 therefore aims to mobilise key Government and private sector entities in Mauritius on priority Nature-based solutions.

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What to expect in the Roundtable

The roundtable will make the case as to how investing in restoring natural ecosystems is beneficial for business on 2 major climate change issues: carbon capture and coastal erosion. Investing in Nature not only will protect Mauritian entities from potentially catastrophic losses, but it can also open the door to new revenue streams, through the sale of high-integrity forest carbon and blue carbon offsets to global investors and corporates keen to complete the last mile of their Net Zero transition.

Entitled “Towards a Nature-positive Economy: how Nature can grow Business”, the roundtable will be organized in 2 parts:

  • Morning: Setting a carbon price for native forest carbon to support both forest restoration in Mauritius and corporate Net Zero targets, and how investing in the Mauritius national parks can open the way for de-risking large scale forest carbon sourcing in mainland Africa, positioning Mauritius as a regional carbon trading hub, attracting foreign investment and supporting green economic growth.
  • Afternoon: How Blue Carbon and Coastal Nature-based Solutions can support Mauritius’ fight against coastal erosion as well as how investing in Mauritius Blue Carbon and coastal NbS can open the way for de-risking large scale coastal nature financing in the region.

Starting with the topic of carbon pricing of native forest restoration, the roundtable will move on to Blue Carbon and how to minimize coastal erosion through Coastal Nature-based Solutions. The event will be held over 1 full day, to present to Mauritian public and private decision-makers in attendance a range of tangible examples, cutting-edge tools and investment opportunities regarding Forest Carbon, and Blue Carbon and Coastal NbS. The sessions will be delivered by local and international experts from academia, business and Government. The speakers will demonstrate how by investing into 2 nature-based carbon offsets: forest carbon and blue carbon, companies stand to reap substantial economic benefits on top of enabling important biodiversity outcomes. The issue of integrity and credibility in the carbon markets will be addressed with an outline of the various standards (such as ICVCM) and emerging principles for producing high integrity credits to avoid greenwashing risks.

A key double focus will be to examine how a “Mauritius Standard” aligned with global high integrity best practices could be developed to issue a double certificate of a carbon offset amount + a nature restoration outcome, both for forest and coastal ecosystems. This goes hand in hand with assessing how to develop the local talent pool needed, from biodiversity restoration to 3rd party verification to climate & nature financiers.

Attend & Connect with Allies

The roundtable will host the following organizations:

Government: Ministry of Finance; Ministries in charge of climate change, nature restoration (land and marine), National Parks and Conservation Service under the aegis of the Ministry of Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy and Fisheries (Agro-Industry & Food Security Division), blue economy, finance, land-use planning; Economic Development Board; Bank of Mauritius; Financial Services Commission.

Private Sector: HSBC, major local groups as well as various business groups such as the Mauritius Institute of Directors, Mauritius Bankers Association, Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mauritius Finance, Business Mauritius.

State-Owned Enterprises: Air Mauritius, Mauritius Investment Corporation, Landscope, Sugar Investment Trust.

Development agencies and finance institutions: African Development Bank, Agence Francaise de Developpement, Ausralian High Commission, British High Commission, European Union Delegation, United Nations Coordination Office, UK Taskforce on Access to Climate Finance for LDCs and SIDS, World Bank.

Academia: African Leadership University, University of Mauritius, Université des Mascareignes, University of Technology Mauritius.

Schedule

January 24 (Friday)

Labourdonnais Hotel, Caudan

08:30 AM – 09:00 AM

 
 

Registration/Coffee

09:00 AM – 09:15 AM

 
 

Welcome Remarks

09:15 AM – 09:25 AM

 
 

Keynote Addresss

09:25 AM – 09:30 AM

 
 

Introduction

Ice Breaker/Logistics

09:30 AM – 10:45 AM

 
 

Forest Carbon

Expert presentations to empower participants
with a common base of foundational knowledge

10:45 AM – 11:30 AM

 
 

Forest Carbon

Plenary Discussions:

  • Local participants & expert speakers to interact
  • 3 Key issues
  • 15 Minutes per issue

A. How can the NPCS be supported to become a supplier of high-integrity carbon offsets and high-quality biodiversity outcome certificates for corporates engaged in the transition to a net zero, nature positive future?

B. How can Mauritius be a regional platform supporting global investors keen to source high quality forest carbon offsets and land forest biodiversity outcomes from mainland Africa?

C. How can Mauritius rapidly develop the level of skills needed?

11:30 AM – 12:00 PM

 
 

Forest Carbon

Breakout Groups

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

 
 

LUNCH

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

 
 

Blue Carbon & Coastal
Nature-based Solutions

Expert presentations to empower participants with a common
base of foundational knowledge 10 mins per session

10 minutes per session

2:00 PM – 2:45 PM

 
 

Blue Carbon & Coastal
Nature-based Solutions

Plenary Discussions:

  • Local participants & expert speakers to interact
  • 3 Key issues
  • 15 Minutes per issue

D. Science- and nature-based solutions to address beach erosion: local regulatory framework to ensure quality standards

E. Regional opportunities for Mauritius IFC (ex: carbon credit registry) in Blue Carbon and Coastal Nature-based solutions

F. How to generate the local talent pool to service both points 1 and 2?

2:45 PM – 3:15 PM

 
 

Blue Carbon & Coastal
Nature-based Solutions

Breakout Groups

3:15 PM – 3:30 PM

 
 

BREAK

3:30 PM – 4:30 PM

 
 

Way Forward

  • Discussion Synthesis
  • Next Steps/ Action Planning & Closing Remarks

4:30 PM – 5:30 PM

 
 

HAPPY HOUR AT THE LABOURDONNAIS LOUNGE

Location

Labourdonnais Hotel

Caudan, Mauritius

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About SOWC

The ALU School of Wildlife Conservation is the first of its kind on the continent, dedicated to growing the next generation of world class conservation leaders in Africa.

The continent needs home grown African leaders to spearhead new and innovative approaches in the business of conservation.

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ALU School of Wildlife Conservation

Bumbogo, Kigali Innovation City, Next to Azam, Kigali, Rwanda
Phone: +250 784 650 219

sowc@alueducation.com