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Case Studies

EnviroStrat is a marine and terrestrial natural resource specialist,
delivering projects across a wide range of technical disciplines and geographies.
In The News

Rural delivery

EnviroStrat's Senior Project Manager, Rebecca Barclay was interviewed for episode 6 of Rural Delivery about how the GreenWave Aotearoa project is exploring the viability of a domestic seaweed farming industry. Rural Delivery Episode 6 | April 2023
EnviroStrat
July 21, 2023
In The News

Fish of the day

EnviroStrat's Senior Project Manager, Rebecca Barclay, was interviewed about our GreenWave Aotearoa project for Fish of the Day with Clarke Gayford. Fish of the Day | June 2022
EnviroStrat
July 21, 2023
In The News

Catalysing nature-based solutions

EnviroStrat's Sustainability Director, Cerasela Stancuwas interviewed for a podcast on Monocle 24: The Bulletin with UBS. Cerasela, along with UBS Optimus Foundation’s CEO Maya Ziswiler and Patti Chu of Mana Impact shared the key ambitions of the Catalysing Nature-based Solutions: Perspectives and Practices for Developing High Quality Projects report released in November 2022. “If there is one overarching and reassuring finding it is this aspect of multiple benefits that nature-based solutions provide and the fact that they really deliver value for money.” Nature-based Solutions, The Bulletin with UBS 429 - Radio | Monocle | December 2022
EnviroStrat
July 21, 2023
In The News

The critical role of accounting in proactively managing freshwater

Water accounting has a critical role in proactively managing freshwater and making informed decisions. That’s the message EnviroStrat’s Cerasela Stancu shared with attendees at the 2023 New Zealand National Freshwater Conference. Drawing on EnviroStrat’s experience and insights, Cerasela spoke about our application of the UN SEEA water approach in the Hawke’s Bay region, producing the first systematic set of water accounts in New Zealand to inform Hawke's Bay Regional Council's Regional Security Water Programme. Cerasela Stancu at the National Freshwater Conference - YouTube | March 2023
EnviroStrat
July 21, 2023
In The News

Moving to a circular bioeconomy – expert reaction

How can we reduce waste and pollution, and regenerate natural environments, while still keeping our economy running? Nigel Bradly, EnviroStrat CEO, spoke to the Science Media Centre of New Zealand about the idea of a circular bioeconomy. “Building Aotearoa New Zealand’s circular marine bioeconomy is an exciting opportunity to leverage the country’s abundant marine resources for sustainable economic growth.” Moving to a circular bioeconomy - Expert Reaction - Science Media Centre | February 2023
EnviroStrat
July 21, 2023
Our Thinking

Blending aquaculture and conservation to turn malnourished kina into a culinary delicacy, enabling ocean habitat restoration

In the last few decades, Aotearoa New Zealand’s rocky reef coastal ecosystems have undergone significant changes. We’re now facing a massive ecological challenge, but it’s one that most people don’t know about because it’s happening under the water. Vast stretches of our seafloor that were once abundant with dense kelp forests have been overtaken by exploding populations of kina (sea urchins) which have grazed the kelp down to bare rock.  The combination of the removal of kina’s natural predators (like snapper and crayfish) through commercial and recreational fishing, impacts from land use and warming oceans have led to a proliferation…
EnviroStrat
June 30, 2023
Our Thinking

What are, and aren’t, nature-based solutions?

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) members adopted a resolution at the 2016 World Conservation Congress and members’ assembly which, for the first time, defined the use of nature for simultaneous benefits to biodiversity and human well-being. According to the resolution, nature-based solutions are defined as “actions to protect, sustainably manage and restore natural or modified ecosystems that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits”.  The crucial role of nature-based solutions in addressing the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss was highlighted in a COP27 session organised by the IUCN. At…
EnviroStrat
November 26, 2022
Our WorkStrategy, Research & Analysis

Catalysing Nature-based Solutions

Catalysing nature-based solutions: Perspectives and practices for developing high-quality projects gives a sense of the vast potential we have to harness nature to address global environmental and biodiversity challenges. The report was co-authored by EnviroStrat and Singapore-based impact investment and advisory firm, Mana Impact, with support from UBS Optimus Foundation. Download the NBS Report. 
EnviroStrat
November 20, 2022
In The News

Where is all the climate change agri innovation funding?

EnviroStrat CEO, Dr Nigel Bradly was interviewed for this newsroom article examining why New Zealand isn’t leading the world when it comes to funding innovation around agricultural emissions reduction technologies. "The New Zealand investment community is highly conservative by comparison with investors overseas," Bradly says. "There's no shortage of investment capital looking for climate innovation, but New Zealand investors don't walk the talk in the same way they do elsewhere. This is especially the case for non tech climate investment - nature-based solutions for example are woefully underinvested. There is not the same willingness to take risks. Here we are…
EnviroStrat
October 21, 2022
In The News

Growth framework developed for New Zealand’s seaweed industry

Dr Nigel Bradly, EnviroStrat CEO, was interviewed for Radio NZ about New Zealand’s new Seaweed Sector Framework. “The growth potential is huge … Enabling the growth is part of it. Part of it is developing the know-how and skills in farming as well as the processing to create a scalable, high value, end-to-end supply chain. The more we’re able to scale up the production of sustainably grown seaweed, the more confidence we will have to invest heavily into high value opportunities. Listen to the radio interview here. Growth framework developed for New Zealand's seaweed industry | October 2022
EnviroStrat
October 21, 2022
In The News

First seaweed planting in Coromandel waters historic moment for aquaculture

Stuff reported on New Zealand’s first planting of hatchery grown seaweed in Coromandel waters, noting that it could be the beginning of a new sector for the aquaculture industry. Alongside Dr Nigel Bradly, EnviroStrat CEO, GreenWaveNZ partners Dr Rebecca Lawton from the University of Waikato and Lucas Evans, CEO of Premium Seas were interviewed about the pilot. First seaweed planting in Coromandel waters historic moment for aquaculture | October 2022
EnviroStrat
October 21, 2022
In The News

First seaweed seedlings in the Hauraki Gulf for new industry

The Bay of Plenty Times reported on the GreenWaveNZ pilot seaweed outplanting. Dr Nigel Bradly, EnviroStrat CEO, was interviewed at the event. “What’s really historic about today is this is the first time in New Zealand that we’ve had Ecklonia grown in a hatchery and put onto a farm. What we’re seeing now, we hope, is the start of something exciting, where we’re able to help ocean farmers create a supply chain with seaweed as a part, or all, of what they do.” First seaweed seedlings in the Hauraki Gulf for new industry | October 2022
EnviroStrat
October 21, 2022
Our Thinking

Perspectives from the UN Oceans Conference 2022

EnviroStrat CEO, Dr Nigel Bradly joined Sally Paterson from Live Ocean Foundation for a webinar hosted by Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge to share their perspectives from the UN Oceans Conference 2022. They highlighted the science-based and innovative solutions to improve the ocean’s health as well as discussing what New Zealand is doing well, where we need to do better and where the opportunities lie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYKSixvLlmc&t=2s Recorded: Tuesday 30 August 2022.
EnviroStrat
October 19, 2022
Strategy, Research & Analysis

Transitioning to a Blue Economy research report

About the client Established in 2014, the Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge is a 10-year, two phase government-funded research programme set up to address how we can best develop our marine economy, while protecting the taonga of our marine environment. Executive Summary Sustainable Seas National Challenge has a vision for healthy marine ecosystems that provide value for every New Zealander. EnviroStrat has been a significant contributor to the Sustainable Seas blue economy workstream. In 2018 EnviroStrat was tasked with leading a project reviewing how the blue economy in New Zealand is growing and changing, and the potential of research and…
EnviroStrat
October 6, 2022
Coastal, Marine & Blue EconomyOur WorkStrategy, Research & Analysis

Innovative three-year seaweed farming pilot to demonstrate seaweed’s potential for New Zealand’s blue economy

GreenWave Aotearoa is an innovative three-year regenerative ocean farming pilot that began in mid-2021. Led by EnviroStrat, in partnership with Ngāi Tai ki Tamaki,Premium Seas Ltd, the Universities of Waikato and Auckland and AgriSea, the $5 million pilot is focused on creating an economically viable seed-to-harvest model for seaweed farming inNew Zealand. Taking place on existing consented aquaculturefarm sites in the Hauraki Gulf, supported by hatcheries in the Coromandel and Tauranga, the pilot is developing on-water infrastructure and growing techniques, post-harvesting logistics and product development. In doing so, GreenWave Aotearoa seeks to optimise productivity (and therefore commercial viability) of seaweed…
EnviroStrat
September 14, 2022
In The News

Seasick: Saving the Hauraki Gulf

Mawae Morton, EnviroStrat Chairman and Nigel Bradly, CEO, were interviewed for Stuff’s Seasick series. They feature in Episode 7 talking about the future of the Hauraki Gulf. Seasick: Saving the Hauraki Gulf | April 2022  
EnviroStrat
June 23, 2022
In The News

Founders Fireside Chat with BlueTechBase News

In this edited conversation with Peter Green from BlueTechBase News, Nigel Bradly spoke about his journey with EnviroStrat, advice he would give to others in this space and the importance of bridging the gap between investors and sustainable project developers. “For me, a particularly fascinating area lies at the intersection between economics, finance and science. As a result, EnviroStrat operates in that arena and our real value comes from our belief that being transdisciplinary is a superpower.” Founders Fireside Chat with BlueTechBase News | November 2021
EnviroStrat
June 23, 2022
In The News

Sea change aquaculture

Nigel Bradly, EnviroStrat CEO, was interviewed by NZBusiness about the challenges and opportunities for New Zealand’s aquaculture industry post Covid-19, and the initiatives that could unlock its true export potential. “As a country we haven’t invested enough to date in critical assets like hatcheries to provide the certainty of supply that you see in a lot of other countries. He also believes that the sector hasn’t necessarily kept up to speed on R&D and technology as much as other sectors. Climate change is also a significant challenge for the sector - with warming seas, acidification and biosecurity risks that come…
EnviroStrat
June 23, 2022
In The News

Blue economy series

In this series written for Pure Advantage, Fraser Stobie unlocks some new thinking about the world’s aquatic economy. In Blue is the new green, Fraser touches on what it means for the ocean economy to be blue; exploring definitions of the Blue Economy and highlighting in particular, the need for sustainable growth in our oceans to meet a variety of economic, social, cultural and environmental outcomes. In The value proposition of the blue economy, Fraser explores how local communities can benefit from the Blue Economy and illustrates how alternate measures of success can change the way we generate greater value…
EnviroStrat
June 23, 2022
In The News

Farming the sea bed for weed

Nigel Bradly was interviewed for Radio New Zealand's article about how the seaweed market is a golden opportunity for New Zealand. “The government is working really hard so that it can enable, not prevent, a sector like this from growing. Part of the reason Aotearoa has been so slow to the industry is because it’s very good at farming other aquaculture such as mussels, oysters and salmon, and there wasn’t an appetite or demand for trying out a new species. Big global producers have very mature supply chains that New Zealand companies would have to compete with. But the tide…
EnviroStrat
June 23, 2022
Coastal, Marine & Blue EconomyOur WorkUncategorised

From ‘assessment to investment’: the transition to a blue economy in India

About the client With 189 member countries, the World Bank Group is a unique global partnership that is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries. Its five institutions are working for sustainable solutions that reduce poverty, build shared prosperity in developing countries and promote sustainable development. Executive Summary The World Bank and Government of India had been collaborating to develop a long-term programme to direct funding and resources to coastal and marine management. The Enhancing Coastal and Ocean Resource Efficiency (ENCORE) programme will help India enhance its coastal resources, protect coastal populations from pollution,…
EnviroStrat
June 23, 2022
Central Gov'tCoastal, Marine & Blue EconomyOur WorkStrategy, Research & AnalysisUncategorised

Supporting the growth of New Zealand’s rapidly evolving seaweed sector

About the client Established in 2014, the Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge is a 10-year, two phase government-funded research programme set up to address how we can best develop our marine economy, while protecting the taonga of our marine environment. Executive Summary EnviroStrat has been a significant contributor to the Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge blue economy workstream. In 2018/2019 we led a research project to identify marine activities that have the potential to create economic value whilst contributing positively to social, cultural and ecological wellbeing in New Zealand. This included a stocktake of national and international blue economy developments,…
EnviroStrat
June 23, 2022
Our Thinking

Demystifying the Blue Economy in New Zealand

Watch Dr Nigel Bradly’s presentation to the Changing Tides Tai Tōrua: Ocean resilience in Aotearoa conference | June 2021. There are some great initiatives happening in New Zealand at the moment, but what’s important is that they are scalable and repeatable to be able to generate the scale of restoration required. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcC5vZEFU1Y
EnviroStrat
June 23, 2022
Coastal, Marine & Blue EconomyIwiOur WorkProject & Programme ManagementStrategy, Research & Analysis

Chatham Rock Phosphate (Managing the response to a proposal for Deep Sea Phosphate Mining)

EnviroStrat successfully led the response of New Zealand’s largest tribe to a proposal for deep sea phosphate mining on the Chatham Rise, NZ. Developed and executed a strategy to refute the evidence presented by the applicant through a 3 month hearing process, including engaging and managing experts in economics, ecology, ecotoxicology, planning, and international best practice. There were a number of unresolved issues, including the impact on existing fisheries and cultural interests, the need for adaptive management in the context of very large infrastructure development, restoration techniques using the precautionary principle, and the reliance of modelling as a proxy for…
EnviroStrat
February 12, 2020

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EnviroStrat operates nationwide in New Zealand and regularly in the USA, India and developing nations throughout Southeast Asia.

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