Lecture Notes: Decentralizing Financial Flows to Drive Regeneration - Samantha's Presentation

Introduction

Presenter: Samantha
Background: Worked for the World Bank, ecological economist, founder of Finance for Gaia.
Focus: Helping people set up financial systems at the bioregional scale.
Purpose of Talk: Discuss the paper “Decentralizing Financial Flows to Drive Regeneration: The Case for Bioregional Financing Facilities”.

Definition: New structures to support the decentralization of financial resources.
Goal: Allocating financial capital to those best positioned to contribute to global regeneration.
Vision: Every bioregion on Earth creating these facilities to support transitions to regenerative economies.

Background: Neoclassical economist turned ecological economist.
Key Experience: Over 10 years working to shift financial flows towards healing the Earth.
Decision: Left World Bank to start Finance for Gaia to get closer to high-impact projects.

Centralization of Financial Resources: Result of capitalism.
Urgency of Ecological Crisis: Requires large-scale biosphere regeneration and sociocultural revitalization.
Disconnected Financial Flows: Current system fails to support those doing critical ecological work.

Phases of Development:
- Phase 1: Develop a Bioregional Trust or Fund to allocate philanthropic and public grant capital.
- Phase 2: Develop a Bioregional Investment Company focused on living systems principles.

Decentralize Financial Resource Governance: To allow for regional adaptability and regeneration.
Engage Indigenous and Traditional Practices: Combine with western scientific insights for maximum impact.
Involve Local Stakeholders: For decision-making in resource allocation and impact metrics.
Create Systemic Investment Portfolios: To handle complexities in challenges.
Innovative Tools and Models: Encourage development of new financial and governance tools.

Inclusive Governance: Ensuring indigenous and local stakeholders participate in decision-making.
Trust-Based Philanthropic Model: Trusting local entities to allocate and utilize resources effectively.
Decentralized Decision Making: Supported by a transparent and democratic process.
Case Studies: Examples from various regions demonstrating successful decentralization efforts.

Blended Capital Structure: Combining public grants, philanthropic grants, private investment, and crowdfunding.
Investor Rationale: Making a case for investors by highlighting social, ecological, and financial returns.

Current Financial Architecture: Risk of further privatization and centralization without proper structure.
Benefits of Decentralization: More effective at achieving ecological regeneration and resilience.

Mapping and Organizing Bioregions: Critical foundational work for setting up financing facilities.
Capacity Building: Supporting regenerative businesses and co-ops for future sustainable growth.
Democratic Decision-Making: Ensures funding aligns with community-agreed goals.

Potential for Extractive Investment: Need careful consideration of when financial returns are appropriate.
Focus on Long-Term Regeneration: Investment should prioritize building regenerative capacity initially.
Community Sovereignty and Philanthropy: Empowering communities to manage external and internal resources.

Future Steps: Paper to be released soon detailing these concepts and inviting global collaboration.
Community of Practice: Planned for bio regions globally to share experiences and tools.
Core Belief: Financial systems should support and deepen relationships, crucial for resilient societies.
Final Thought: Aligning finance with life and systemic health is paramount for sustainable regeneration.

Preparing Ground Projects for Funding: Importance of mapping, organizing, and agreeing on bioregional regeneration.
Indigenous-Led Trusts: Ensuring governance is inclusive and respects indigenous lifeways.
Handling Global Financial Collapse: Converting capital into bioregional regenerative capacities.
Dealing with Oligarchs: Proposing investments in regional healing and reconciliation.

Need for Financial Flow: Vital for on-the-ground projects.
Community Philanthropy: Emphasizing local resources and community decision-making.
Integrative Holistic Approaches: Key to managing Collective risk at landscape scale.
Example: Barichara’s approach to funding ecosystems.

Relationships are central to resilience.
Financial systems as tools to measure and support value within living systems.
Investment in regeneration needs to prioritize long-term ecological and community health.