An Eastern Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) exhibits its Red Eft state in southwest Virginia. July ... [+]
For those of us in Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky, safeguarding our entire planet’s biodiversity starts in our own backyard. That’s right. These three states which house a significant section of the Appalachians and have a storied history in the coal and timber industries are a key focus area for conservation and biodiversity experts around the globe. And that’s why one of the largest conservation projects ever in the U.S. is underway right here, right now in part of the oldest mountain range in North America, which (as shown in Figure 1) spans 2,000 miles from Alabama to Maine (and into Canada).
Investing in the Appalachians
In 2019, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the world’s largest nonprofit dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends, solidified an unprecedented land acquisition and conservation project. The Cumberland Forest Project was made possible through the collaboration of TNC leadership in three central Appalachian states – Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky – and NatureVest, bridging properties across state lines. This ambitious, multi-state conservation project covers 253,000 acres and is the largest transaction TNC has managed using funds from impact investing.
Figure 1. Savage Gulf, part of the South Cumberland State Recreation Area State Park, Southern ... [+]
The Cumberland Forest Project is remarkable because of its vast size, its multi-state approach, and its forward-leaning impact-investing financial model. As chair of the Global Board of TNC, I frequently speak about the Project, in part because it is personal — it involves my home state of Tennessee and my adopted state of Virginia, where my wife Tracy and I have a working farm. But I also tout it because it is a wonderful illustration of how both non-profit and profit-seeking organizations can come together to creatively approach conservation at large scale, with science-based attention to both nature and biodiversity, and importantly also to the well-being of people and communities.
Clearly, this is a special project – one that is innovative, good for people, and good for the planet, and one that will undoubtedly serve as a model for future, large-scale conservation efforts. It harnesses a creative financing model to conserve vital forests and support the remarkable and unique, rich biodiversity of the Appalachian region, while simultaneously building smart partnerships with local communities and industry for sustainable revenue opportunities. Without a doubt, the Cumberland Forest Project is an example of what the future of conservation can look like. Protecting this particular region is fundamentally consequential to protecting the health and well-being of our entire planet and the people that live on it.
Unique Model in the Cumberland
Conserving land on this scale can’t be done with traditional philanthropy alone – it requires a creative approach that brings in investors who seek more than just a financial return and who altruistically seek sustainable conservation benefits too. The Cumberland Forest Project combined two large parcels of land, a 100,000-acre parcel straddling Kentucky and Tennessee and a 153,000-acre parcel in southwest Virginia. Purchasing and managing this much land requires a lot of money. Remarkably, to accomplish this TNC created a unique investment fund to purchase these two properties that could provide investors with the opportunity to achieve a positive return and turn a profit.
Spanning from northern Alabama to the Canadian Maritimes, the Appalachians are a high priority for ... [+]
Indeed, much of the Project’s funding comes from impact investing, where private capital is leveraged to support conservation projects that have the potential to give investors a return on their money. In doing so, TNC has innovatively engaged a whole new group of people who want to be a part of a solution to climate change and are willing to take on some moderate investment risk — without asking them to make a major, charitable donation.
What’s more, TNC is simultaneously working to support green jobs within the local economies. The project has improved access to conservation-appropriate local hunting and fishing and wildlife viewing opportunities, is generating new revenue from improved forest management by engaging carbon offset markets, and is developing financial opportunities such as through sustainable logging operations, which generates jobs and income for local communities. TNC, whose 2030 global conservation goals specifically delineate improving the well-being of people, is committed to enhancing relationships between people and nature by other means as well, such as increasing outdoor recreation and advancing solar energy on former coal mining lands. With urgency increasing and time growing more critical as temperatures continually rise and climate changes, incorporating economics and market-based principles into sustainable forestry helps us reach our goals of protecting the earth sooner. The Cumberland Forest Project serves as a prime example.
Aerial photograph in the early morning of mountains and fog in Campbell County, Tennessee. May 2019. ... [+]
Why The Appalachians Matter to You and Me
The Cumberland Forest Project is located in one of the most important areas for climate resiliency in North America — the Appalachians. As The Nature Conservancy compellingly explains:
The Appalachians’ rich variety of species, natural resiliency and diverse communities and cultures put it alongside the Amazon Rainforest and the Kenyan grasslands as one of the most globally important landscapes for tackling climate change and conserving biodiversity. Evidence of the Appalachians’ resiliency to climate change dates back to the age of woolly mammoths and saber-toothed cats, when the region provided refuge from the most recent ice age. Today, the Appalachians still represent a place of hope. The verdant forests have a remarkable ability to absorb and store excess carbon — currently storing an estimated 56% of the eastern region’s above-ground carbon, which helps limit warming — while the ancient mountains provide havens of cooler temperatures.
Mapping of the movements of mammals, birds, and amphibians by TNC shows the Appalachians to be “a superhighway for nature.” Identified as a critical migratory corridor (see Figure 2), scientists expect species to increasingly traverse this region as the climate continues to warm. And the Project’s footprint in Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky, according to state wildlife action plans, is home to more than a hundred species that are considered “Species of Greatest Conservation Need” and call for rapid conservation action. This includes, for example, the little brown bat, the eastern meadowlark, and the black mountain salamander.
Figure 2. As the climate changes, plants and animals are shifting their ranges to adapt and thrive. ... [+]
In fact, the roots of this larger Project began with species protection in the Clinch Valley in southwest Virginia. Starting in 1995, TNC helped identify and protect the population of rare freshwater mussels living in the Clinch River. The river is home to 46 species of freshwater mussels, 20 of which are federally endangered, and hosts the highest concentration of rare species of fish in North America. When I visited the Clinch Valley recently, I learned first-hand that freshwater mussels play a vital role in river health and water quality – as filter feeders, they work to remove bacteria, algae and sediment to clean the waters in which they live (see Figure 3).
Figure 3. Senator Frist working with scientists from The Nature Conservancy at the Clinch River in ... [+]
And just as these innocuous little mollusks play an outsize role in the health of our waterways, we’ve found that our trees similarly play a vital role in carbon capture.
And on a more personal note, the Appalachians also make people’s lives better – and healthier. Scientists estimate the Appalachians provide oxygen for 1.8 billion people, mitigate 1.3 million tons of pollution, contribute 56% of all above-ground carbon, and generate approximately $25 billion in recreation (the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the country with over 13 million visitors each year).
Yes, Appalachia, a region from which so much has been extracted historically, is now recognized to be a crucial resource for North America for climate adaptation and mitigation. For people and nature to thrive in a progressively warming era, we need a healthy and thriving Appalachia. Achieving this vision, though, requires us to listen to science, to build strong, innovative partnerships, and to engage in sustainable philanthropy and policy.
The impact of TNC’s novel conservation financial model will be carefully studied and leveraged as we work to conserve and safeguard the natural world around us for generations to come. Thanks to the leadership of TNC working collaboratively with local communities and regional partners, those of us in Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky are already contributing to a more sustainable future, better protecting and stewarding our lands, waters, and wildlife. This project reminds each of us that we all have a role to play in building a healthier and greener future where people and nature thrive.
TNC is proving that conservation can help protect our planet, our economy, and our people and communities all at the same time. And this is what makes TNC’s vision special. It’s the recognition that any conservation solution at scale has to positively impact the people it touches as well. This, we truly believe, is the future of conservation.
