Who Really Benefits? Reflections from Our DC Climate Week Event on Nature-Based Solutions

On May 1, 2025, the Institute for Development Impact (I4DI) hosted Who Really Benefits? Balancing Risks and Rewards in Nature-Based Solutions as part of D.C. Climate Week. The event brought together more than 60 researchers, implementers, funders, and advocates to examine a central question in sustainable development: who actually benefits from Nature-based Solutions (NbS), and at what cost?

NbS are often framed as a “triple win” for climate, communities, and business. In practice, the outcomes are more uneven. As panelists and participants emphasized, those closest to the land—smallholder farmers, Indigenous communities, and local governments—frequently bear the greatest risks. Delayed returns, opaque benefit-sharing structures, and investor-driven models make it difficult for these groups to meaningfully participate or benefit.

The afternoon opened with a panel moderated by I4DI’s Co-Founder and CEO, Dr. Azra Kacapor Nurkic, and included:

• Virginia Gorsevski, Conservation International

• Max McGrath-Horn, Magnitude Global Finance

• Sarah Hertel, NDC Partnership

• Amy E. Daniels, Ph.D., U.S. Forest Service

• Felipe Casarim, bp

The panel unpacked key tensions in current NbS programming, including how to ensure fair benefit-sharing, how to improve transparency and impact measurement, and how to develop funding models that prioritize grassroots participants rather than external investors.

Following the panel, participants joined a hands-on workshop simulating the challenges of designing a cocoa agroforestry initiative. Using I4DI’s predictive modeling dashboard, teams representing different stakeholder groups negotiated trade-offs across environmental, social, and economic objectives. Their shared goal: develop a strategy to move cocoa farmers above the Living Income Benchmark while navigating climate and market pressures.

Whether you were in the room or are just learning about the event now, we hope this conversation continues. At I4DI, we believe real solutions must be rooted in equity, co-designed with local actors, and accountable to the people and ecosystems they affect.