CI Ventures, LLC

Providing sustainable economic opportunities must be at the core of successful conservation strategies.​

CI Ventures is an investment program that provides loans to small- and medium-sized enterprises that operate in the forests, oceans and grasslands where Conservation International works​. Whether in sustainable agriculture or forestry, ecotourism or wild fisheries, these businesses share one thing in common: a commitment to practices that benefit ecosystems and human well-being.​

USING AN IMPACT-FIRST MODEL TO SUPPORT NATURE-POSITIVE ECONOMIES

CI Ventures invests in enterprises that are aligned with Conservation International’s mission of working toward a healthy, prosperous world in which societies are forever committed to caring for and valuing nature, for the long-term benefit of people and all life on Earth.

In every sector and region where we invest, we consistently apply an impact-focused approach to evaluate how business models contribute to different priorities.

Read ACF's Impact Report Here

In 2020, Conservation International launched the African Conservancies Fund as a rescue package for the critically important Maasai Mara landscape in Kenya. When the pandemic impacted the tourism industry, the loss of revenues created a devastating threat to biodiversity and people as pristine wilderness was at risk of being sold or farmed. CI Ventures' US$ 500,000 investment into the Fund leveraged $1.5 million in impact capital from partners; to date, $2 million has been disbursed to four conservancies across the Mara to support the ecosystem and its people through an economic crisis. 

After demonstrating success with this pilot, CI Ventures aims to expand the model across Africa and invest $50 million in additional conservancies over five years to achieve the following impact by 2030: 

• 1 million community members living near wildlife derive benefits from wildlife conservation
• Populations of indicator species within Conservation International priority areas are stable or increasing
• Ecosystems covering 2 million hectares within Conservation International priority areas benefit from increased biodiversity
• 1 million tons of CO2e/year (carbon dioxide equivalent) in climate co-benefits from rangeland restoration activities implemented by conservancies