NBSAP and Economic Incentives Policy Director

To meet the world’s growing demand for food, fiber, and other critical goods and services, we must develop resilient and regenerative production systems that conserve biodiversity, enable economic development, and maintain the health of the nature humans need most. CI is working with governments, global organizations, and the private sector to promote the establishment of nature-positive economies for production - on landscapes and seascapes. In critical landscapes, we will help catalyze this shift by supporting the transformation of 40 million hectares into nature-positive models for sustainable production by 2030, focused on the places most important for species and ecosystem services, including carbon, food, fiber, and water. In the ocean, CI is working to catalyze the conservation of 18M km2 of ocean (5% of the global ocean surface) by 2025 as well as measurably improve management in 20 critical fisheries and aquaculture areas by 2025.

This position will help CI implement its national-level efforts to deliver on the key organizational objectives with linkages to the global biodiversity agenda. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework is an ambitious new package of global biodiversity goals and targets to guide the world’s actions and funding to reverse the biodiversity crisis before 2030.

Transforming to nature-positive economic models will require developing and implementing policy approaches that shift and align public budgets and regulatory and market-based incentives with sustainable production practices, conservation, and restoration in ways that deliver clear economic benefits to local communities and economies while contributing to broader climate, biodiversity, and societal goals such as the Sustainable Development Goals. CI is planning to actively engage in the update of 10 or more country’s national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs) to ensure that the policies and programs needed to transform to nature-positive economies are included in these important national policy frameworks. This position will bring technical capacity and leadership related to policies that shift economic incentives to this effort. Key commodities of interest for this work on sustainable production include palm oil, cocoa, coffee, soy, and beef/leather as current production models for these commodities are driving much of the deforestation around the world.

As a member of CI’s Fellows Program, the selected candidate will have opportunities to expand the breadth of their professional skills and experiences through collaboration with a cohort of exceptional conservation scholars, practitioners, and policymakers, working throughout the institution, with opportunities for co-learning across new areas of study and practice, and personal development. The Fellowship program hosts conservation Fellows who work to create dynamic and unconventional approaches to address barriers to sustainability and contribute to a shift in how nature is valued and protected. These fellowships provide unparalleled opportunities for intensive focus and achievement at the intersection of climate, conservation, business, and technology.

• By 2024 and onwards, serve as a focal point for CI’s NBSAP engagement, liaising with country programs and governments in key countries to inform updates of NBSAPs and associated financial plans and their implementation with a focus on policies that shift economic incentives towards nature-positive results. This will involve working with a team of CI colleagues in global teams and CI country offices.
• By 2025, support the establishment of at least seven national government partnerships on NBSAPs update and associated GBF implementation.
• Serve as an internal CI expert on policies for creating or shifting economic incentives for sustainable production and sustainable management, in terrestrial and marine/coastal ecosystems.
• By 2025, provide expertise across CI on how to use policies to create new incentives/financial mechanisms to encourage Nature Positive Economies models (eg Payment for Ecosystem services for regenerative agriculture, fiscal transfers, tax, and other fiscal instruments, transition support, market incentives) and to create new funding opportunities for conservation.
• By 2025, assist 4-6 CI country offices with advancing, establishing or piloting policies at the national or subnational level that shift incentives and support CI’s objectives.

Other duties as assigned by supervisor.