Ivy Protocol and Hamerkop: A Partnership Empowering Early-Stage Project Developers
Author: Ieva Blazauskaite (Marketing Lead, Ivy protocol)
Author: Olivier Levallois (Founding Director, HAMERKOP)
Introduction
We’re absolutely thrilled to announce that Ivy has formed a partnership with Hamerkop Climate Impacts. With this exciting collaboration, we aim to empower early-stage carbon project developers and transform the way carbon projects take off.
Launched in London five years ago, HAMERKOP is an independent technical climate change & finance consultancy. At its heart is a small team of passionate environmentalists dedicated to supporting carbon market ecosystems, enabling private capital to finance climate change mitigation and adaptation. This pursuit has been the life work of the founder Olivier Levallois, with 15 years of experience in the field.
A Vision for Change
In the last few years, the voluntary carbon market has witnessed a surge of interest. Currently, the focus is largely directed toward the financial services tied to selling existing carbon assets — the path of least resistance for immediate returns. Although the real value lies in directing capital toward ground-level projects that can make a tangible impact. HAMERKOP’s collaboration with Ivy Protocol aims to navigate this crucial yet less traveled road, optimizing how funds are channeled to early-stage project developers.
Ivy Protocol: Twofold Value
According to Olivier, Ivy’s uniqueness is twofold.
Ivy’s first distinct quality lies in its dedication to lowering the entry barrier for early-stage project developers that often lack funds or other resources to reach the feasibility stage. Many project developers lack the resources for preliminary studies, hindering their ability to attract funding. By stepping into the pre-feasibility phase, Ivy provides the project developers with much-needed technical support while helping to assess project feasibility and instill confidence in investors.
On another front, Ivy is amplifying transparency in the data handling process. The goal is to eliminate the multitude of self-interested intermediaries, providing clarity and confidence that financial resources are used to make a substantial impact.
A recent report by Carbon Market Watch highlights the opacity in the voluntary carbon market, revealing that 90% of intermediaries investigated don’t disclose the specific fees and profit margins derived from carbon credit transactions. The platform which Ivy is developing seeks to address this issue, by bringing greater transparency to the voluntary carbon market and enabling project developers to differentiate between genuine supporters and self-interested intermediaries.
Beyond Blue Carbon: Co-Benefits and Community Engagement
The partnership is currently focused on Blue Carbon initiatives, specifically mangrove conservation, and restoration. One key aspect of these projects is the automatic support for biodiversity restoration. These initiatives naturally extend their positive impact on local communities as well. Viewing reforestation not just as a carbon sink but as part of the ecosystem that includes human beings, is fundamental to our approach. In line with this perspective, we encourage the adoption of co-certification that allows transparency in reporting a range of non-carbon impacts, including economic, biodiversity, adaptation, and livelihood impacts.
“Mangrove forests are some of the most productive and biologically diverse ecosystems on the planet. They deliver incredible ecosystem services that play a critical role in supporting human well-being through climate regulation, disaster risk reduction, food security, and poverty reduction” (International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), & Ramsar Convention on Wetlands et al.)
Capacity Building for Success
To enhance the abilities and efficiency of project developers, there is a substantial need for capacity building. Here are three key focus points for success in this regard:
Streamlining Data Infrastructure
The role of the Ivy platform can be likened to an ecosystem for data, seamlessly connecting all parties, creating smoother interactions, and improving the overall procedure.
As Liam, the co-founder and COO of Ivy, claims, “we are establishing a streamlined system, eliminating unnecessary complexities and communication lags.”
HAMERKOP’s collaboration with Ivy Protocol is fundamentally about streamlining data collection, which is a cornerstone to initiating and improving project development over time. This procedure aids in a comprehensive assessment, careful analysis, and meticulous due diligence, all of which are crucial. These steps, when carried out thoroughly, facilitate the design and implementation of economically viable and investable projects.
Olivier admits this task is a delicate balance between human intervention and technological advancement. “Technology can be useful in providing cost-effectiveness and accuracy,” he confirms but emphasizes the importance of understanding the local context when framing data collection efforts. He envisages the carbon aspect of the data collection will increasingly rely on technology, while social and economic aspects will likely remain relatively manual.
The Regulatory Landscape: 10 Core Carbon Principles and More
In recent times, the voluntary carbon market has experienced significant regulatory changes, one of them being the introduction of the 10 Core Carbon Principles. “Their main objective,” Olivier elaborated, “is to streamline the definition of what good quality looks like in the context of the voluntary carbon markets.” He recognized the challenge of establishing a single definition when dealing with diverse projects and contexts but maintained optimism about these principles.
While these principles are a noteworthy initiative, there are other similar efforts afoot. Independent rating agencies, for example, are working towards bringing an independent, confident opinion to potential buyers.
Conclusion
As we look to the future, this partnership between Ivy Protocol and HAMERKOP signifies a pivotal turning point in the realm of carbon project development. By introducing streamlined data systems, offering much-needed technical support, and fostering unprecedented transparency, this collaboration is actively strengthening the ties between investment and impact.
However, the success of this initiative isn’t just about Ivy or HAMERKOP — it’s about all of us. We invite you to join us in supporting our work. By learning more about these efforts, sharing information with your networks, and becoming an active participant in the Ivy ecosystem, you can contribute to a more regenerative future. Visit Ivy Protocol and HAMERKOP websites to get involved.
Follow our journey:
💻 Website: ivyprotocol.com
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🖇️ LinkedIn: Ivy Protocol
🐦 Twitter: @ivy_protocol
