Olivia Scholtz

Background

About Olivia Scholtz

The High Conservation Value Approach was a game changer 20 years ago when it was first used in sustainable forest management; putting conservation tools into the hands of forestry managers so that conservation could extend beyond formally recognized Protected Areas, and giving equal weighting to biodiversity and the rights and needs of local communities and Indigenous People. The HCV has stood the test of time and has been used across the globe on the ground, in particular in the agricultural and forestry sectors. It has been adopted by around 20 sustainability schemes, and hundreds of companies and financial institutions have commitments to protect HCVs. Today it offers a tried-and-tested and holistic solution for nature, people, and climate. I form part of the HCV Network Secretariat, providing technical input on HCV Tools for users in a rapidly changing world with rapidly changing needs. My background is on-the-ground conservation, and I know solutions are not short and simple. We 1) develop conservation tools fit for the needs of the people on the ground - be that an oil palm plantation manager or a smallholder cocoa grower, experts, governments and civil society, 2) provide a learning and education environment, and 3) seek to create the enabling environment for land managers to adopt conservation practices and report on their impact.