Better management of ocean biodiversity and ecosystem services
More investment into sustainable ocean businesses
Higher contribution from ocean-based businesses to climate targets
Ensuring equity and prosperity for coastal communities
Asset Balance Sheets
Asset balance sheets log the stocks of assets and their values in the national accounts. Whereas flows of economic production--goods and services--have been used as primary indicators of the "health" of an economy, these measures do not take into account depreciation or degradation of the asset base form which these flows stem. Changes in the asset balance sheet would reflect, for example, the reduction in value of depleted fisheries stocks.
An asset balance sheet is useful for natural capital accounting and assessing the blue economy requires periodic assessments of asset stocks that are systematically collected and comparable. This would mean regular assessments of fishery stocks, undersea ocean and mineral deposits, and port infrastructure to name a few. Monetary accounts require prices for non-market natural capital assets.
While monetary accounts are the ideal, physical accounts (e.g. kg spawning stock biomass) can be useful where market prices do not exist.
Tracking changes in the asset balance sheet are more important than a comprehensive asset balance sheet compiled as a one-off exercise. These data must be collected with regularity to be useful for tracking the sustainability of the blue economy.
Plastic credit allows a company to neutralize its plastic production and concurrently connects its brands and products with the social and environmental impact embedded within the process of producing the credits. Plastic credits are based on the weight of the plastic that a company produces. The money spent on the plastic credits will then go toward environmental projects that will eliminate an equal amount of orphan plastics as a company produces. If a company purchases plastic credits equal to the amount of plastic that they produce, then they are considered plastic neutral. Ideally, we would be working toward eliminating orphan plastics entirely, while plastic credits only serve to assist in managing the disposal of orphan plastics. However, they are a positive short-term remedy while we, as a world community, determine a more sustainable solution.
Corporate collaborators. Their support enables TONTOTON to develop and implement more projects continuing the chain of positive environmental and social impact.
Plastic Credit Framework. It is imperative to define to which framework the company will operate upon the production of plastic credits. TONTOTON chose to remove ocean-bound orphan plastic waste from the environment as we see the highest environmental and social impact in it.
It is important to work with companies who take sustainability seriously and not just jumping into the bandwagon of this conversation. Not because they can neutralize the plastic elements in their supply chain that they cannot immediately remove, they have the excuse to just produce more without any plastic recycling or reduction plan in place. These solutions must go hand-in-hand in order to achieve the best impact that our planet deserves.
Our activities are audited by a 3rd Party Control Body as part of the Ocean Bound Plastic Neutrality Standard. Credibility is key. Corporations participating in the TONTOTON plastic neutralizing program receive certificates to verify the quantity of waste collected, transported, received, and converted into AFRM, allowing quantifiable and reliable reporting to all stakeholders of your business. Neutralization Certificates are kept in a Public Registry to ensure no double counting.
Globally-recognized protocol on ocean-bound neutrality. This governs the definition of ocean-bound plastic and all activities surrounding the production of the plastic credits.
Third-party auditor/control body. They are the checks and balance that ensures all procedures in the production of plastic credits are compliant to the protocol. Only then the certified credits are recorded to the public registry to avoid double selling.
In this industry, there is always tendency of greenwashing as corporations are cramming to be labeled “eco-friendly” or “sustainable” in order to remain relevant and competitive among consumers with growing demands for sustainability, not to mention to comply and respond to the global pressure on sustainability.
Thus, TONTOTON deems that an independent certificate audited by a globally-acclaimed third-party control body is a must to establish accountability. This helps us to be always on our toes in terms of ensuring all our activities are proper and aligned with the protocol.
TONTOTON also urges our business clients to sign a sustainability commitment, with the understanding that plastic credit is only a part of its overall action plan towards reducing or removing plastic in their bsupply chain.
Flexible perovskite solar pannels in wildlife conservation
Collaboration with development companies, IT, engineers may create an innovative approach in conservation. High efficient telemetry perovskite solar panels provide hundreds of thousands of times more energy than is needed for fixing GPS position and other data like temperature, humidity, etc., and transmitting it to the cloud. Because of the high efficiency of perovskite power cells of solar panels devices telemetry collar can work with low light density, dust, and severe condition efficiently enough to produce the right amount of energy. In this case, accumulator batteries size decreased up to 90%, and the is no reason to replace them every 3-5 years, which decrease the negative impact of accumulator batterie on the environment
Multidiscipline cooperation is the key. When IT, engineers, conservationists, managers, foresters, veterinarians, and hunters working together for the common innovative goal. Success definitely in the cooperation of highly motivated people.
The combination of the right people at the right place. It was really challenging during COVID-19 times because of borders closure between the engineering and implementation team. All windows of opportunities were use and also creativity.
Green Petfood staff support the Ntakata Mountains Project
Green Petfood
Access to the voluntary carbon market provides unconditional finance allowing the communities to earn revenue from the protection of their natural resources. Earned revenue results in increased ownership over the project and empowers forest communities to determine how that revenue will best be spent to improve forest protection activities and enhance community development in a way the serves the entire community.
Carbon Tanzania is the project developer who connects the forest communities to the international voluntary carbon market by sourcing clients, organizing verification and registering the certified carbon credits on the respective environmental registries.
For carbon credits to be sold on the international voluntary carbon market they must first be verified by an international third-party certification standard. The Ntakata Mountains project is certified by VERRA’s VCS and CCBA standard.
Access to market must also be established. Carbon Tanzania has an established network within the voluntary carbon market enabling the sale of the certified carbon credits.
Clients purchasing carbon credits need to have genuine carbon reduction strategies to uphold the legitimacy of the project generating the certified carbon credits.
Most clients will also have their own certification and CSR requirements that can determine which certification standard they need their credits to be verified by.
Char is carbonized organic matter that is produced by pyrolysis.
Biochar is char used for biotechnology, such as in agriculture.
Charcoal is char used as fuel.
Biochar has some important properties:
Resistance against biological and chemical decomposition, so it lasts in soil for centuries and can be used to store atmospheric carbon.
A high surface area
Negatively charged surfaces and some positive charges with can hold soluble plant nutients such as nitrogen and potassium and other minerals.
In Bangladesh, the soils are often low in soil organic matter, because the warm-humid climate and agricultural tillage promote organic matter breakdown. Soil that are low in organic matter become hard and open pore space. Crop growth can be severely limited.
Given the excellent climate from growing crops, improving the organic matter in Bangladeshi soils can have profound results. Biochar can do this because it doesn't break down. Instead, it combines with manures, composts and soil organic matter to from new, stable humus.
By increasing soil organic matter there is:
An increase in soil crumbs and large pore space
Increased aeration
Increased water penetration
Increased plant-available water
Increased soil life
Increase root growth and crop yield.
There are several key steps in getting biochar into common use:
Scientific knowledge and practical knowledge of the use of biochar in Bangladeshi agriculture.
Desimination of the knowledge to farmers
Farmers' practical experience with biochar, so that they can evaluate what they would be prepared to pay for it.
Farmers get excited about biochar once they witness the effects of biochar in research experiments, agricultural extension field trials, and local farmer trials.
In one case, after a tour of a farmer's field plots, some farmers came back later and carried off baskets of his soil.
Planetary health examines the ways in which human health is impacted by human-caused disruptions to the Earth’s natural systems. Within that definition is a feedback loop. Anthropogenic environmental changes affect the health of people. At the same time, the way people interact with the natural environment is influenced by their physical, social, and mental well-being and their economic security. This loop reiterates the interconnectedness of human health and environmental systems. It introduces the possibility of designing win-win planetary health solutions that recognize that a change in one system can trigger positive shifts within another. Ecological levers for public health are interventions in the ecosystem or conservation space that have positive outcomes for human health.
ASRI’s planetary health intervention was done by creating a dual conservation-health program that is able to improve human health and reduce deforestation of rainforests.
Intensifying community-designed planetary health interventions during the Covid-19 pandemic has enhanced community resilience and prepared people for the future shocks of climate change. We have not just focused on an emergency infectious disease response for communities, but have also invested in a stimulus package for the rainforests to ensure tandem wellbeing and resilience. Increasing food security will have both environmental and human health impacts. Reforestation will decrease zoonotic transfer of diseases and improve ecosystem integrity, which will support human health.
