Pauline KALUNDA

Pauline Nantongo Kalunda is the Executive Director of ECOTRUST - the Environmental Conservation Trust of Uganda, a local conservation financing organisation. Pauline is an expert in establishing & managing innovative conservation financing mechanisms. ECOTRUST is based on a Blended Financing model, through which Public funding is used to leverage private and community investments.

Among her several achievements, Pauline has successfully established a commercially viable payment for environmental services scheme - Trees for Global Benefit (TGB).  Through TGB, ECOTRUST has supported 15,115 smallholder farmers to grow more than 4 million trees on about 11,460ha in different parts of Uganda, linked to the voluntary carbon market.  Through TGB, ECOTRUST provides a platform, where different community - led actions are aggregated to achieve scale in a cost–effective manner that enables US$6 out of every US$10 committed for climate action to reach the intended beneficiary in form of direct cash transfers.

TGB won the 2013 SEED Award for its innovation and entrepreneurship, its promising efforts to promote economic growth, social development and environmental protection in Uganda, and the potential of its partnership to inspire others.  Pauline also sits on the Board of Directors for several national and international conservation organisations. Pauline Chairs the ACBA Policy working group.