ClimaFund

Changemakr Asia

ClimaFund

ClimaFund : Above the canopy, below the roots, beyond carbon - preserving mangroves through local wisdom & space-age intelligence

Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia

IDN

For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models

Mangroves store 3–5 times more carbon than tropical forests, yet up to 80% of restoration projects fail due to poor monitoring and lack of data-driven decision-making. This failure not only threatens over 35 million people in coastal communities across Asia and Africa, but also risks reversing climate progress—releasing hundreds of tons of stored carbon per hectare back into the atmosphere. Despite $2.6 billion invested annually in blue carbon projects, many rely on infrequent, expensive field visits that miss early warning signs—especially in dynamic, hard-to-access tidal ecosystems. The verification gap is most acute in countries like Indonesia and (soon) the Philippines, where ClimaFund is active and communities face rising climate risks. Indigenous and coastal communities, despite holding generations of ecological knowledge, remain excluded from the monitoring process. This disconnect limits both impact and scalability. To unlock the estimated $30 billion potential of the blue carbon market and protect the planet’s remaining 15 million hectares of mangroves, we must shift to locally informed, continuous monitoring systems. ClimaFund bridges this gap—bringing together satellite intelligence, AI, and community-grounded data to make restoration measurable, verifiable, and resilient.

ClimaFund's integrates three core technologies : 1). Remote Sensing Data Acquisition: We collect multi-spectral satellite imagery from open-source platforms (Sentinel-2, Landsat) and commercial providers offering higher resolution. These capture critical metrics like vegetation indices, blue carbon stock estimation, tidal level sea level dynamics as well as all vulnerability factors in a mangrove area 2). Indigenous Knowledge Integration: via lightweight app that are deployed to coastal communities to document traditional indicators of mangrove health and latest observations. These community-sourced observations inform our AI model development by incorporating qualitative factors like seasonal changes, wildlife presence, and tidal patterns historically used to assess ecosystem health and its vulnerability factors. 3). AI Analysis Pipeline: Our machine learning models analyze temporal changes in mangrove coverage, detect early warning signs of degradation, and estimate carbon sequestration potential based on species composition and age. 4). Blockchain Verification: Field data collected by local community members is timestamped and georeferenced through a mobile app, then stored on a distributed ledger that creates immutable verification records linking ground truth to satellite observations. 5). Real-time Dashboard: The system generates project risk scores and carbon stock estimates viewable through an intuitive dashboard that flags potential issues before they lead to project failure.

ClimaFund serves coastal communities—especially women and youth—who are often excluded from climate finance despite being among the most vulnerable to climate change. In Indonesia, the Philippines, and beyond, they face rising seas, stronger storms, and limited economic opportunity. ClimaFund transforms them from passive recipients into active participants in blue carbon markets by: 1). Creating jobs and upskilling: Women lead local data collection using AI-assisted, low-literacy tools—gaining digital and geospatial skills while earning through blended financial and non-financial incentives such as solar panels, clean stoves, and solar-powered cold storage for higher-value fisheries. 2). Unlocking fair revenue share: Blockchain-enabled, community-verified data allows direct validation of conservation outcomes, giving communities access to carbon finance. 3). Boosting resilience: We integrate indigenous knowledge into restoration planning to reduce storm damage and protect ecosystems. 4). Lowering entry barriers: Our platform streamlines MRV through community-grounded monitoring and traceable data layers aligned with Verra and Gold Standard. 5). Empowering funders and operators: ClimaFund delivers real-time insights on site risk, biodiversity, and ecosystem health—enabling timely action and reducing project failure. By democratizing access to carbon markets, ClimaFund turns overlooked communities into recognized climate stewards—with voice, visibility, and economic agency.