Launch of the High Carbon Stock Approach 2021 – 2025 Strategic Business Plan (SBP)

24th March  – The High Carbon Stock Approach is pleased to announce that its 2021 – 2025 Strategic Business Plan (SBP) was launched today at its bi-annual Steering Group virtual meeting.  The plan will work towards fulfilling HCSA’s Mission and Vision:

Mission: End commodity-driven tropical deforestation by providing land managers with practical, credible, and inclusive tools for land use planning.  

Vision: Natural forests linked to commodity production and consumption are conserved and restored throughout the tropics in cooperation with indigenous peoples and local communities.

By working with HCSA members, land use managers, communities, partners, and other stakeholders the HCSA aims to achieve its 2025 goal of conserving 5 million hectares of forests through scaling up the use of the HCS Approach methodologies.  These efforts will be employed through three main strategies:

  • Strategy 1: Ensuring successful implementation within commodity certification and verification schemes, and support initiatives, using the palm oil sector as a springboard for other commodities.
  • Strategy 2: Integrating HCSA with landscape and jurisdictional approaches and independent smallholder/farmer support initiatives that present the greatest impact potential.
  • Strategy 3: Advocating and facilitating the connection of active and prospective HCSA Toolkit users (supply chain actors: growers, smallholders, mills, commodity users etc.) to technical partners with comprehensive HCS-HCV (High Conservation Value) and community rights mapping capabilities.

In pursuit of these three strategies, HCSA will evolve into a centre of excellence for halting tropical deforestation supported by a significant scaling up of the HCSA Secretariat’s technical, outreach, and awareness building capabilities.  This will be done in conjunction with HCSA technology, revenue, and member benefit enhancements amongst other advancements.

In addition to the 2025 goal of achieving 5 million hectares of forest conservation through scaling up the use of the HCS Approach methodologies, the SBP contains ten-core metrics linked to financial, organisation, HCSA Toolkit users, and Toolkit impacts/performance targets that will be used to also track and report the success of the implementation of the SBP.

The 2021 – 2025 Strategic Business Plan, and the ambitious growth targets detailed within it, was developed based on input from a performance assessment of the HCSA conducted in 2020, and feedback provided by HCSA Steering Group members, secretariat staff, and external stakeholders at each stage of the development process.  HCSA’s SBP ambition is aligned with the critical need for urgent and accelerated action to end commodity-driven deforestation and achieve tropical forest conservation.  The implementation of the plan will further position the High Carbon Stock Approach as a credible multi-stakeholder initiative with a leading role in driving forward nature-based solutions to mitigate climate change, conserve biodiversity and advance actions in cooperation with indigenous peoples and local communities to uphold their rights and livelihoods.

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Development Manager

Natalia Merchan

Natalia Merchan joined HCSA as a Business Development consultant in 2020. She is responsible for fundraising in general and building relationships with new donors. Natalia has over 10 years of fundraising experience with foundations, major donors, institutional and corporate donors. Prior to joining HCSA, she worked with Greenpeace as a major gifts’ advisor raising funds for the forests campaign. She holds an MSc. in Environmental development from the University of Amsterdam.

Digital Designer & Communications Officer

Kirsti Drain

Kirsti joined in 2022 and is responsible for visual digital content production for HCSA’s new website, digital assets for all communication channels, as well as design for corporate reports and bids. She has over 20 years of experience in design and content across web, digital and print channels in a broad range of sectors. She previously worked as senior graphic designer for Capital City College Group in London and digital designer and content editor for the Commonwealth. She has a BA in Film and Photographic Arts from the University of Westminster.

Outreach Executive

Saffira Mohamed

Saffira Mohamed joined the High Carbon Stock Approach in 2022 as Membership Officer. She supports the Membership Outreach Manager and Membership Committee. Saffira has experience in avifauna surveying and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Forestry from University Putra Malaysia with a focus on Forest Management.

Communications Manager

Leslie Jewell

Leslie is responsible for producing and managing HCSA’s internal and external communications. Her background is journalism, starting as a reporter and then current affairs producer with BBC World Service Radio and BBC Radio 4. She moved into international TV news, working in Russia, Ukraine and Central Asia as Bureau Producer in Moscow for BBC News and covered New York and Washington as North American Bureau Producer for Reuters. She studied politics at Cardiff University and speaks French, Italian and Russian.

Head of Development

Jesús Cordero

Jesús Cordero is our Head of Development. He leads on the development and deployment of our Membership Strategy, coordinates the Membership Committee, and supports the development of our Information Management, Communications, Fundraising and HR functions. Jesús has extensive experience with membership and communications management and innovations as well as promoting smallholders’ livelihoods in the tropics via sustainable land use management approaches. Jesús speaks English and Spanish, and he holds a degree in Forestry, an MSc. in Agroforestry (Cranfield University), an MSc. in Communications for Innovation and Development (University of Reading) and an M.A. in Translation Studies (University of Portsmouth).

Landscape and monitoring manager

Jonathan Byers

Jonathan Byers is responsible for managing the HCSA Global Forest Watch Pro monitoring platform. Jonathan has a diverse background in natural and physical science research, cartography and GIS, non-profit management, education, and digital storytelling. Most recently he led a National Geographic funded project to study the habitat and behaviour of the endangered Matschies’s tree-kangaroo in Papua New Guinea to assist community conservation efforts. He previously worked on cartography projects for Panthera to provide high-resolution maps for tiger anti-poaching efforts in Malaysia, and for the National Park Service mapping glacier retreat in California and Alaska. Jonathan holds an MSc. Degree in Geography from the University of Montana.

Administrative Officer

Anis Farhana Wahab

Anis Farhana Wahab is the Administrative Officer of the High Carbon Stock Approach. She supports the HCSA Executive Director, HCSA Executive Committee and working groups on HCSA governance and priority workstreams. She holds a Bachelor of Science (Major in Biology with Minor in Psychology) from Carleton University.

Quality manager

Daneetha Muniandy

Daneetha Muniandy joined the HCS Approach in 2020 as the Quality Assurance Officer. She is responsible for supporting HCSA Grievance Mechanism Unit, HCSA trial applications and other HCSA QA work. Daneetha has experience in forest conservation and holds both, a diploma and degree in Forestry from University Putra Malaysia (UPM).

Finance Manager

Lee Kuan Lih

Lee Kuan Lih joined HCSA as a Finance Manager in 2020. He is responsible for the company’s bookkeeping, budgets, and cash flow control. Prior to joining HCSA, he was a finance manager in Helikonia. He was also in charge of financial matters at Apple Crumby & Fish, a start-up e-commerce platform for essential baby products and had previously worked as an auditor. Kuan Lih holds a Bachelor of Business and Commerce (majoring in accounting and finance) from Monash University, Malaysia. He is also a Certified Practising Accountant as a member of CPA, Australia.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Adrian Choo

Adrian Choo is the Executive Director of the High Carbon Stock Approach. He leads the development and implementation of HCSA’s strategic business plan, oversees the HCSA membership and Secretariat and fosters partnerships to drive HCSA’s impact and growth. Adrian has extensive experience in tropical forest certification, palm oil sustainability and high conservation value areas. He led the Sustainable Markets Programme Strategy at WWF-Malaysia and was Chair of FSC Malaysia for several years. Adrian has a BA in Forestry and a PhD in Biocomposite Technology from Universiti Putra Malaysia, where he was also a Post-doctoral Research Fellow.