Melissa Garvey

Athlete, Brainstormer, Environmentalist, Finance professional, Idea generator, World traveler

I am an experienced conservation leader, responsible for developing and executing strategies, managing teams and ensuring results to address the world’s most pressing challenges to people and nature. I lead the Nature Conservancy's Nature Bonds Program, which has unlocked $1 billion to conserve over 242 million hectares of ocean, land and freshwater and protect 18,000 km of rivers. What started with the ocean (Blue Bonds) has now expanded dramatically to scale up conservation and climate outcomes across all ecosystem types. Nature Bonds unlocks large scale conservation finance through debt conversions, which are combined with participatory conservation planning and policy to help countries achieve ambitious Paris Agreement commitments and conserve 30% of the Earth's terrestrial, freshwater, and ocean biomes by 2030.

Helping countries finance and implement large scale nature and climate solutions that supports Indigenous People and local communities.

Audacious 2019 cohort. The Nature Conservancy has identified a key insight: Some 60% of low-income nations – many of whom are the most vulnerable to climate change – face debt distress, limiting their ability to protect their biodiversity and overcome climate threats. The Nature Conservancy’s audacious idea was to work with multilateral institutions and others to help countries refinance their commercial debt at better interest rates and with more favorable terms, so they can channel those savings into conservation. We started with ocean conservation, calling our work “Blue Bonds,” but soon renamed it the “Nature Bonds Program,” as we expanded our vision to protect ocean, land and fresh water, and mitigate and adapt to climate change. TNC engages with governments, financial institutions, NGO partners and community stakeholders to make sure the project outcomes are a win for nature protection, local communities, and sound fiscal management. Since 2019, TNC’s Nature Bonds Program has grown from an idea focused on island nations and marine conservation to a proven model with a robust pipeline of projects around the globe that conserve hundreds of millions of hectares of land and water. The Nature Bonds Program now has six projects in implementation, unlocking roughly $1 billion for conservation. And that’s just the beginning. Significant Wins: The Nature Bonds Program has unlocked an estimated $1 billion for conservation through six projects: in Seychelles, Barbados, Belize, Gabon, The Bahamas, and Ecuador. These projects are expected to protect or improve the management of an estimated 242 million hectares of ocean, lands, lakes and wetlands, and protect 18,000 kilometers of rivers. In 2024, TNC and five other organizations formed a coalition to scale and accelerate the use of the proven Nature Bonds project model.

Conservation Finance, Ocean Protection and Management

I lead a program that is a 2019 TED Audacious Recipient for our Blue Bonds (now Nature Bonds) Program that refinances sovereign debt to unlock billions for conservation and climate action. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttcJMNlKif4

Ultra distance mountain running. Getting lost.