Advancing nature tech for a nature positive future.
The ability to accurately measure nature lies at the heart of our vision to reach a state of efficient coexistence between humanity and nature. A foundation of trusted data is the key to setting a global baseline and the scientifically-backed targets we all seek.
Providing this “MRI for Planet Earth” is not only one of our greatest challenges, but also one of the biggest opportunities in the journey to advance the *nature-based solutions (NBS) sector and close the 700 billion dollar annual nature-finance gap. Given the inarguable significance that a healthy biome has for every aspect of our economy, let alone every living being, the potential to do well by doing good, is just about unprecedented.
And while the recent rise of a new nature tech sector has been exhilarating, investment and implementation must hit growth by orders of magnitude to reach mainstream capacity and adoption. This is the mission that sparked the creation of the MRV Collective, and the north star that shapes our evolution into a new phase.
The birth of MRV Collective and exploration into nature tech
When we embarked on our mission, the roadmap was not totally clear, especially when faced with a wealth of complex and conflicting industry data. The first step was therefore to bring together industry leaders, experts, conservation scientists and solution providers – people who really understood the complexities of measuring nature – and who could work together to disseminate truths amidst the noise, and help us to develop strategic pathways to leverage MRV (monitoring, reporting and verification) to demonstrate impactful nature technologies. And so the MRV community, or ‘collective’ was born.
The genesis of the MRV Collective lies at the intersection of the passion for regenerative agriculture with a need for on-the-ground poverty alleviation in Costa Rica. At the height of COVID, founding members of the organization discovered a stark divide between the shining image of a conservationist haven and a country whose economy, largely tourism-based, was utterly at a standstill leading to a growing inability to feed its people.
With a product-led visionary mentality, the MRV Collective was first conceptualized as a platform for bridging the latest in technological innovation, in order to delve deeper beyond the outdated and incomplete data models that were out there in the public sphere. We asked ourselves: what is the actual state of the land that is meant to feed the local population? What would be the actual uplift, or possible degradation caused by specific interventions introduced? It may seem like a simple proposition, but this seemingly basic requirement has led to a greater understanding of how porous and unreliable the state of nature data truly is – and how this directly curtails investment and, frankly, trust, in nature based solutions.
Since establishing the MRV Collective in 2022, this simple platform has grown into a 100+ member strong global network alliance of nature tech entrepreneurs, scientists, NGOs, and investors, united by this mission to scale proven, measurable nature-based solutions to close the nature-finance gap. It’s an alliance driven by an ethos of transparency, collaboration, communication and collective learning.
On this journey we’ve been able to shine a light on the powerful potential that breakthrough technology – matched with traditional knowledge of ecology and the active participation of frontline communities – has for reversing nature loss and reaching this desired state of effective coexistence.
Introducing the Nature Tech Collective
Fast forward almost two years, and today we proudly launch the Nature Tech Collective (NTC), a non-profit member alliance, accelerator and intelligence unit that exists to advance the uptake of nature-based solutions to integrate the protection of nature into all sectors of society.
Our expanded offerings are strategic pathways to advancing the nature tech sector by facilitating the integration of science, technology and finance to amplify proven solutions and advance high-quality data.
1) Accelerating high-quality nature tech.
Through our corporate accelerator program we bring high-quality nature tech solutions to the market, connecting entrepreneurs with enterprises, NGOs, and the public sector. This ‘buy’ side has made clear its demands for solutions related to green supply chains and disclosures, improving soil and agricultural practices, and regeneration at scale. The NTC accelerator program serves as a catalyst for addressing this call.
2) Providing and generating nature tech intelligence.
We are building a world-class nature tech sector intelligence unit that is designed to empower our member network with access to credible sector information, insights, best practices and go-to resources, while helping to grow a nature tech sector that generates science-based data and insights to accelerate nature-based decision making. Starting with a comprehensive sector-wide taxonomy and entity mapping initiative, our research team will expand on its collaborative role of co-authoring the recently published 2023 Nature Tech Report, by publishing sub-sector deep dive reports, state of play webinars, and dedicated thought partnership office hours, among other contributions.
3) Growing and leveraging the world’s first nature-tech community.
We continue to build a cross-cultural global network through a facilitated collaborative platform, supporting real time connectivity, knowledge sharing and providing access to high-quality industry information through our interactive member portal. Members gain access to a comprehensive directory, a growing library of research insights and member programming, as well as a slack-based forum for both thematic working group and ongoing discovery of opportunities for business development, marketing, and professional development.
Catalyzing the growth of nature tech
The recently published State of Nature Tech Report, co-authored by MRV Collective, highlights that innovation, market research, and the application of nature tech is generating high levels of investor interest and inspiring confidence in the market, making nature-based solutions an increasingly attractive investment option.
The report finds that while until now nature tech has been considered a vertical sub-sector within the climate tech market, it is now becoming a category of its own, showing huge promise to attract investment into biodiversity protection and nature loss reversal.
There are several positive signs of the growing maturity of the nature tech industry. For example, early stage investments in nature tech startups increased by +130% in value between 2020 and 2022, from $0.46 billion in 2020 to $0.77 billion in 2021 and $1.06 billion in 2022
— State of Nature Tech, 2023.
Our theory of change rests on the assumption that only through a mature and widely adopted nature tech category will the nature data gap be solved. And, in turn, a robust state of trusted nature data will unlock the funding sitting on the sidelines, seeking the proper conditions to fill the $700B annual nature funding gap.
By defining this nascent category and accelerating its growth, the Nature Tech Collective can become the lynchpin in a powerful new sector – one that will attract much-needed corporate and government investment, by generating meaningful and actionable data to fast-track nature-based investment decisions.
And while we recognize that measuring nature loss and restoration will always be complex, we know that if tackled with transparency, high-quality science and with the expertise of industry leaders who work in collaboration, we can develop and demonstrate truly impactful nature-based solutions that can tangibly help us to reach our vision of effective coexistence with nature.
* Nature-based solutions (NBS) are actions that aim to protect, restore, and sustainably manage natural and semi- natural ecosystems (The State of Nature Tech, 2023).