"Why are the Beavers not financeable?" - Tom Chi, At One Ventures

Beavers could very well be BASIN's spirit animal. (Sorry Elk)

A quick trip down memory lane in BASIN's discord or twitter reveals an early obsession with beavers as a keystone species but more so as the ecosystem engineer BASIN has aimed to emulate.

Whether it be test "bank accounts" for beavers, parachuting beavers or handing out beaver figurines and beaver tokens in person: We Are Beaver Believers.

Beavers even made it into the BASIN Manifesto: Beavers, Biocrust, Bees & Bogs.

Why?

Ben Goldfarb eloquently covers the main reasons in Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter but the main reason is the holistic value that Beavers create and sustain: from water storage and filtration, to wildfire protection, to habitat creation, to carbon sequestration, to aesthetic reasons, and of course biodiversity, beavers do it all.

BASIN's approach to biodiversity at the ecosystem level mimics the Beavers!

Beavers as an Investable Asset

Tom Chi has a great example:

200 beavers sequester as much CO2 as the world's largest Direct Air Capture (DAC) Facility

Tom asked as part of that talk:

Why are the Beaver's not financeable?

Our answer:

They are!

Of course we are not talking about the investing in the beavers themselves but investing in the conditions that give rise to the ecosystem services and the ecosystem assets that the Beavers provide.

So how are Beavers, and more specifically Beaver habitat, wetlands and riparian ecosystems investable? Simply use the RealValue of Natural Capital Framework to render the underlying real asset investable. Rather than rehash RealValue, here are specific examples.

The RealValue of Beavers

These natural capital assets are available for purchase has whole or fractional real assets or as Certificates of Ensurance.

42-acre Beaver Wetlands, Riparian, & Forest

Located in the Northeastern American Mixed Forests Bioregion this 42-acre forest is along a creek with beaver ponds and wetlands. The annual FLOW value of Natural Capital is $406,770 but this site can be protected for as little as $7k per year or put in permanent trust today for a 60% discount to RealValue. The primary Core Benefits of Natural Capital for this site include pollination, recreation, erosion control, clean water, water abundance, habitat, clean air, and resilience as well as immense cultural and spiritual value.

Natural Cap Rate: 249%

FLOWS (annual ESV): $406,770

STOCKS (real asset): $163,247

Annual Core Benefits of Natural Capital of this Beaver Ecosystem

363-acre Beaver Riparian, Forest, & Wetlands

Located in the Southeast Savannas & Riparian Forests Bioregion this 363 acre recreational forest is along a creek with beaver ponds and wetlands. This ecological asset boasts an annual RealValue of Natural Capital of $6,120,420 and can be protected for as little as $36k per year or put in permanent trust for a 99% discount to RealValue. The primary Core Benefits of Natural Capital for this site include recreation, clean water, water abundance, pollination, resilience, erosion control as well as immense habitat, cultural, and spiritual value.

Natural Cap Rate: 766%

FLOWS (annual ESV): $6,120,420

STOCKS (real asset): $798,782

Relational Value of Natural Capital to Beaver (Real) Asset

The Simple Math of Investing in Nature

These two assets can be permanently protected with an investment of $962,029 which protects and stewards annual natural capital and ecosystem services value of $6,527,190. This is a 678% natural cap rate! And because Ensurance permanently protects the underlying real asset this is basically an ∞ return.

Here you can get more info on these ecosystem assets and view more natural capital investments.

We can also put together regional and/or thematic natural capital assets as a portfolio anywhere in the world for any dollar amount. Contact TMO at 970-618-4086 to get started.

Main : Schmiebel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons