Assisting The Nature Conservancy across the world
Justice Seymour Simon Award WinnerDLA Piper is proud to represent The Nature Conservancy, a global environmental nonprofit, to create a world where people and nature can thrive.
Around the world, DLA Piper advises The Nature Conservancy on legal issues so the organization can focus on its mission. A team of lawyers from our Mexico City office advised on the formation of Agua Capital, the legal body of a newly formed water fund that will propose sustainable solutions to the main water-related problems in the city. DLA Piper Mexico is also advising The Nature Conservancy in the design of a Finance for Landscape Facility (F4L) to allow communities to invest in environmentally and commercially regenerative processes and to allow financial institutions to offer small agribusinesses financial products that promote sustainable development.
In the US, Christina Houston (Wilmington) served as Delaware counsel for The Nature Conservancy and worked on the innovative Blue Bonds for Ocean Conservation debt refinancing project with the Belize government. The transaction not only reduced Belize’s debt but created long-term sustainable financing for conservation. The bond was largely structured from scratch and highly complex. Innovative through and through, this deal may serve as a template for future blue bonds. DLA Piper was recognized by the International Financial Law Review (IFLR) for being part of the advisory team on this transaction, considered one of the Deals of the Year in the Debt and Equity-Linked and High Yield categories.
DLA Piper Peru and our nonprofit affiliate New Perimeter were proud to support Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, Wildlife Conservation Society, and WWF on a historic USD20 million debt-for-nature swap between the US and Peru that will redirect debt payments to protect three priority areas in the Peruvian Amazon. Ricardo Escobar (Lima), Ryan Lantry (Dallas), Jesse Medlong (Seattle), and Nelly Espinoza (Lima) worked on this project for nearly two years. Funds from the debt-for-nature swap will protect three priority areas in the Peruvian Amazon, which cover roughly ten percent of the country, by establishing parks and protected areas, as well as by improving the livelihoods of Indigenous peoples and local communities who are guardians of vast swaths of Amazonian lands.
We also assisted The Nature Conservancy in working with a canal company in Idaho to influence the return of water flow into existing streams to support fish spawning habitat.
Lawyers in Phoenix helped the organization conserve river water by assisting in the formation of a malting facility that encouraged farmers to switch from thirsty crops, like wheat, into barley. Barley crops require significantly less water and are in demand in the growing craft beer industry.
We are proud of our continued commitment to The Nature Conservancy to advance its mission of ensuring a safe and habitable environment.
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