hummingbirds
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Nature-based solutions
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Climate
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Biodiversity
- Sustainable cities and communities
- Action against climate change
- Land Life
Pitch
Presentation
hummingbirds is an innovative player in the development and financing of Nature-based Solutions (NbS), committed since 2022 to restoring and preserving our threatened ecosystems.
With a collaborative approach alongside carefully selected local partners, these experts mobilize carbon finance to create a lasting positive impact worldwide. They have 20 ongoing projects, focusing on tropical forests, agroforestry, regenerative agriculture, wetlands, peatlands and coastal ecosystems, energy efficiency, and improved cookstoves. Based in Paris, hummingbirds operates across the entire tropical belt from six regional offices located in Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Madrid (Spain), Melbourne (Australia), Mexico City (Mexico), Nairobi (Kenya), and São Paulo (Brazil). This local presence allows the teams to deeply understand regional socio-economic issues and to work closely with threatened ecosystems.
Their upcoming project in Spain represents one of the largest reforestation initiatives according to the Standard created by the Spanish Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge. This project spans 595 hectares in the municipalities of Trabazos, Retortillo, and Dueñas, located in the Castilla y León region, significantly contributing to the conservation and enhancement of our forest ecosystems. It involves reforesting 317 hectares and gradually transforming a pine plantation into a mixed forest that integrates various species of broadleaf trees. The project area also includes approximately 60 hectares of afforestation on degraded land using native species. Through this initiative, hummingbirds aims to restore biodiversity and establish a resilient environment that provides ecosystem services (such as pollination and carbon sequestration) in the long term. Under the leadership of Carbon2Nature, an entity wholly owned by Iberdrola and focused on developing nature-based projects with high environmental and social impact, and with support from experts for biodiversity monitoring, hummingbirds applies the highest standards to ensure measurable and beneficial environmental outcomes.
hummingbirds aims to engage citizens through LITA.co in developing this natural ecosystem restoration project in Spain, with the goal of restoring close to 600 hectares of land through an investment of €575,000 in redeemable bonds over three years.
Invest today in creating a sustainable forest in Spain and restoring biodiversity with hummingbirds !
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Team
2 co-founders, 26 employees
hummingbirds is led by two co-founders and has a team of 26 employees, including key positions such as carbon finance experts, environmental engineers, and project developers. Anaïs Bach and Damien Ricordeau, the co-founders of hummingbirds, bring complementary skills and extensive experience in ecosystem conservation. Anaïs, with over 15 years of international experience in the energy sector, has held various positions in engineering and operations management, which have given her a deep understanding of technical and field-related issues. Originally from New Caledonia and having lived for over 30 years in the Asia-Pacific region, she is deeply committed to ecosystem preservation and aims to balance social and economic development with nature conservation. On the other hand, Damien transitioned from a career in private equity to project financing in 2013, founding Finergreen, a consulting firm specializing in energy transition. His experience in finance and project development has allowed him to build a global network and establish strategic partnerships. In 2022, he co-founded hummingbirds with Anaïs to leverage his expertise in the fight against climate change. Their collaboration, combining Anaïs' technical expertise with Damien's financial acumen, is a key asset for the success of their venture. hummingbirds has an important local partnership, Carbon2Nature, company 100% owned by Iberdrola, which enables them to use all Iberdrola’s knowledge and experience in sustainability and renewables development. Led by Miguel Angel Garcia Tamargo, Carbon2Nature brings together a multidisciplinary team of highly qualified professionals with extensive experience in executing nature-based projects to the highest quality standards
Challenges
Climate change is primarily driven by the increase in greenhouse gases (GHGs), emitted mainly by human activities such as burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) and deforestation. This rise in GHG concentrations in the atmosphere increases global temperatures, resulting in significant climate disruptions. Among these disruptions, we observe an increased frequency of heatwaves, prolonged droughts, and extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. These climate changes pose a severe threat to ecosystems, with species unable to adapt quickly enough, resulting in accelerated biodiversity loss. Agriculture also faces heavy consequences, as agricultural yields are affected by increasingly unpredictable weather conditions, disrupting global food security. The most vulnerable populations, particularly in developing countries, are the hardest hit by these upheavals, exacerbating social and economic inequalities. In the face of this crisis, immediate and coordinated actions are essential to limit global warming to acceptable levels. International policies, like The Paris Agreement, aim to mobilize countries to reduce GHG emissions and promote a transition to renewable energy sources. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) considers carbon capture technologies, known as Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR), to be "necessary to achieve carbon neutrality goals" and to meet targets for limiting warming to 2°C by 2100.
Solutions
hummingbirds is a player in the voluntary carbon market, facilitating companies' transition to carbon neutrality by enabling them to invest in emission reduction or sequestration projects. The company specializes in Nature-based Solutions projects, offering a comprehensive and integrated service package for developing sustainable, high-quality carbon projects. It engages in the early stages of carbon projects by funding pre-feasibility studies, feasibility assessments, and pilot projects, thereby reducing risks for subsequent large-scale investments. hummingbirds also invests in start-up phase operations, allowing projects to gain momentum once preliminary studies are completed. In addition, hummingbirds provides technical, financial, and managerial consulting services to structure projects under carbon certification standards, applying its expertise at every stage of the process, from carbon estimation to impact assessment. Finally, hummingbirds sells carbon credits generated from its portfolio projects to companies or individuals seeking to reduce their emissions and achieve carbon neutrality voluntarily. Some Nature-based Solutions (NbS) managed by hummingbirds are already generating carbon credits, thus actively contributing to the fight against climate change. The project in Spain will capture an estimated 220,000 tons of CO2e over the next 50 years.
Economic model
The business model of hummingbirds' reforestation project is primarily based on the sale of carbon credits. Once the pre-feasibility and feasibility stages are completed, hummingbirds and its partners will finance the planned planting activities for this winter, as well as the necessary studies to improve forest management. The funding will also be used to establish an accurate biodiversity baseline, to track the positive changes enabled by the project over time. These measures allow the project proponents to meet all the requirements of the chosen Spanish certification standard. Once the project is validated, the project proponents can sell the resulting carbon credits. In this project, Carbon2Nature will be selling these credits mainly through Iberdrola's clients network, for whom decarbonization plans are becoming essential. Sales of carbon credits from hummingbirds' share are expected to generate a minimum of €410,000 by 2025 and €430,000 by 2026, enabling buyers to contribute to carbon neutrality beyond the emission reduction plans already established within their value chains. This sale of credits will also allow hummingbirds to repay the LITA bonds within three years. In total, the sale of hummingbirds' credits is estimated to reach €1.2 million throughout the project. This model promotes the implementation of concrete actions to facilitate financing initiatives aimed at restoring and protecting a natural ecosystem in the Castilla y León region of Spain.
Long term impact
hummingbirds is dedicated to restoring and preserving threatened natural ecosystems, actively contributing to global carbon neutrality through various impactful pathways :
- Reduce Carbon and GHG Emissions : Across its portfolio, hummingbirds aims to sequester and avoid the emission of 50.8 million tonnes of CO2e over the lifetime of its projects. This includes efforts to reforest degraded land and afforest land without vegetation cover with the current project targeting the reforestation or afforestation and sustainable management of nearly 600 hectares).
- Biodiversity Protection : By restoring natural habitats and protecting endangered species, hummingbirds promotes biodiversity through the planting of native species and the implementation of sustainable land management practices that ensure long-term ecosystem resilience.
- Supporting Local Communities : hummingbirds' projects create stable employment opportunities and encourage shared land use for food production, directly contributing to the economic empowerment of local communities.