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Today, I’m joined by Julia Strong, founder and executive director of Symbiosis Coalition. In this conversation, Julia explains how buyer-led demand can help scale high-integrity forest carbon projects and mobilize capital into nature-based carbon removal. We talk about the role of long-term offtake agreements, the quality criteria Symbiosis uses to evaluate developers, and the common reasons projects fall short in the RFP process. Julia also shares what investors and project developers need to understand about readiness, benefit sharing, and the future of forest carbon as an investable asset class.
“Carbon finance is one of the most promising tools that we have in our toolkit to mobilize billions of dollars for nature, climate, and people. It hasn’t yet lived up to its potential, and that was a key reason for starting Symbiosis.”
00:13 Introduction to Forest Invest
00:34 Julia Strong’s favourite tree
01:21 Julia’s background and the launch of Symbiosis
03:13 Sending a clear demand signal for high-integrity carbon removals
04:17 The four core components of Symbiosis
05:20 Unlocking capital through buyer confidence and quality
07:17 The 20 million ton commitment by 2030
09:42 What makes a developer a good fit for Symbiosis
12:17 How developers can access the Symbiosis RFP
14:42 The chicken-and-egg problem in project finance
17:03 Symbiosis quality criteria and project evaluation
24:01 How the RFP process can help shape the market
25:23 Symbiosis’ role after offtake agreements
26:39 Common reasons projects do not advance
31:01 Why pilots and local track records matter
32:16 Bridge capital and the valley of death
35:01 How long the diligence process can take
37:53 Living Carbon and Mombak project examples
41:27 Building a diversified carbon removal portfolio
43:47 How to accelerate buyer demand
47:09 What is next for Symbiosis
48:00 Advice for new forest investors
49:28 Where to learn more about Symbiosis
49:57 Closing thoughts from Shauna Matkovich
Founding Director and Host: Shauna Matkovich - The ForestLink
Producer and Editor: Magdalena Laas - Unscripted Creatives
Nature by MaxKoMusic/Soundcloud
Sopwell Woodlands and Scohaboy Bog SAC, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, IRELAND by wild_rumpus/Soundcloud
Ambient Documentary by Sound Guru (Pixabay)
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