Today, I’m joined by Julia Strong, founder and executive director of Symbiosis Coalition. In this conversation, Julia explains how buyer-led demand can help scale high-integrity forest carbon projects and mobilize capital into nature-based carbon removal. We talk about the role of long-term offtake agreements, the quality criteria Symbiosis uses to evaluate developers, and the common reasons projects fall short in the RFP process. Julia also shares what investors and project developers need to understand about readiness, benefit sharing, and the future of forest carbon as an investable asset class.

“Carbon finance is one of the most promising tools that we have in our toolkit to mobilize billions of dollars for nature, climate, and people. It hasn’t yet lived up to its potential, and that was a key reason for starting Symbiosis.”

00:13 Introduction to Forest Invest

00:34 Julia Strong’s favourite tree

01:21 Julia’s background and the launch of Symbiosis

03:13 Sending a clear demand signal for high-integrity carbon removals

04:17 The four core components of Symbiosis

05:20 Unlocking capital through buyer confidence and quality

07:17 The 20 million ton commitment by 2030

09:42 What makes a developer a good fit for Symbiosis

12:17 How developers can access the Symbiosis RFP

14:42 The chicken-and-egg problem in project finance

17:03 Symbiosis quality criteria and project evaluation

24:01 How the RFP process can help shape the market

25:23 Symbiosis’ role after offtake agreements

26:39 Common reasons projects do not advance

31:01 Why pilots and local track records matter

32:16 Bridge capital and the valley of death

35:01 How long the diligence process can take

37:53 Living Carbon and Mombak project examples

41:27 Building a diversified carbon removal portfolio

43:47 How to accelerate buyer demand

47:09 What is next for Symbiosis

48:00 Advice for new forest investors

49:28 Where to learn more about Symbiosis

49:57 Closing thoughts from Shauna Matkovich

Founding Director and Host: Shauna Matkovich - The ForestLink

Producer and Editor: Magdalena Laas - Unscripted Creatives

Nature by MaxKoMusic/Soundcloud

Sopwell Woodlands and Scohaboy Bog SAC, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, IRELAND by wild_rumpus/Soundcloud

Ambient Documentary by Sound Guru (Pixabay)

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