DATES
Session 1 (in-person): May 31, 2025 – 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Session 2 (in-person): June 1, 2025 – 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Economics of Biodiversity and Natural Capital Markets
Micro-certificate
This program examines the human and economic dependencies on nature from a finance professional’s perspective, delving into the latest developments and best practices in sustainable finance. This micro-certificate empowers people to make meaningful contributions to the mitigation of biodiversity loss within their respective industries.
There are eight full bursaries available for this micro-certificate program.
Who this certificate is for
- Treasury professionals responsible for hedging programs
- Risk teams responsible for evaluating the biodiversity impact of their organization’s activities
- ESG, sustainable investing, and corporate sustainability teams involved in program management
- Corporate investment and finance professionals
- Portfolio managers, analysts, and traders who lack in-house ESG and sustainability support
- Professionals in law, accounting, and/or actuarial firms involved in sustainability advisory
- Students, ESG and sustainability consultants looking to bolster their credentials and expand their professional network
Key takeaways
In this program, you'll:
- Understand the relationships between climate, biodiversity and human interaction
- Discover how corporations and investors depend on biodiversity
- Identify biodiversity risks and opportunities in various sectors
- Learn about the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework
- Apply biodiversity assumptions to corporate performance and value chain activities
- Develop a biodiversity risk mitigation program for a financial portfolio
- Apply a biodiversity mitigation hierarchy combined with a biodiversity offset program
Program structure
- Two in-person sessions
- Each session will have time allotted for networking and discussion
- Hands-on learning through case study analysis and group work
To ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to contribute to the discussion, we ask that participants complete assigned reading prior to class.
Dates & fees
LANGUAGE
English
LOCATION
For the in-person sessions: John Molson School of Business - 1450 Guy St., Montreal, Quebec H3H 0A1
FEE
All 5 courses: $6,300 CAD (+taxes) - 10% discount
1 course: $1,400 CAD (+taxes)
Get preferred rates by signing up for all of our 5 micro-certificates in sustainability. Employers can also unlock preferred rates by registering three or more members of their organization. Contact our program manager to explore our packages.
FULL BURSARIES AVAILABLE
There are eight full bursaries available that will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
To be eligible for the bursary, you must meet all of the following criteria:
1. General eligibility
- Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
- Be at least 18 years old
2. Scholarship limit:
- Applicants may receive a maximum of two bursaries to attend different micro-certificates within the program.
3. Application process
- Applications must be submitted at least two weeks before the start date of the chosen micro-certificate.
- Late applications will not be considered.
4. Recipient commitments
Bursary recipients must:
- Complete all required evaluations and assignments for their micro-certificate.
- Provide a brief report (1-2 pages) on the impact of the training at the end of the micro-certificate, outlining how the training has contributed to their personal or professional growth.
5. No-show policy
- If a recipient fails to attend their micro-certificate without a valid reason, they must reimburse 50% of the bursary amount.
- Valid reasons for absence include:
- Serious illness
- Death or imminent death of a close relative
- Unexpected professional obligations
Instructors
Our experienced instructors are leaders and innovators in their field.
Jason Taylor, CFA, CAIA, MBA
Founder of Clariti Advisory and sustainable finance leader
Jason Taylor is a capital markets professional with over 20 years of experience. He is the founder of Clariti Advisory, a boutique sustainable investing and environmental finance firm. In recent years, he led the development of the sustainable finance strategy for two Canadian banks, working in close collaboration with groups across bank and capital markets to design sustainable finance solutions for investors, corporates, and governments.
A frequent panelist and public speaker covering topics including transition finance, taxonomies, and sustainable finance regulation, Jason has also participated in a number of industry standard-setting workstreams to accelerate the mainstreaming of sustainable finance in Canada. He is an advocate for using the power of capital to influence systemic change and contribute to building just, fair, and resilient communities. Experienced in ESG integration, thematic investing, and sustainable investing, his work focuses on crowding-in capital to shrink the funding gap in a financially efficient manner.
Camilo Alejo, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow at Concordia University
Dr. Camilo Alejo is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Concordia University interested in the interplay of land use, financial incentives, and local values to achieve climate and biodiversity outcomes from a geospatial perspective. Currently, Dr. Alejo coordinates the NSERC Alliance project “Equitable Futures for Nature-based Solutions” at Sustainability in the Digital Age and Future Earth Canada Hub. This project is twofold: It aims to (1) understand Canada’s landscape of Nature-based Solutions and (2) leverage Artificial Intelligence to monitor current and prioritize future conservation and restoration actions. Dr. Alejo envisions research as a dialogue among scientific intelligence, collective intelligence, and Artificial Intelligence to catalyze decision-making for climate and biodiversity.
FAQs
To enhance participants’ learning experience, the programs have in-person sessions to facilitate interactive group exercises, to get live feedback from instructors, and to build connections through networking. Before each micro-certificate's first session, there will be a 30-minute introduction period allowing participants to connect with instructors and fellow classmates.
Students must actively participate in all sessions to earn their certificate. To emphasize our skill-focused approach, we intentionally omitted a formal evaluation process to prioritize hands-on learning and real-world application.
Prior to each session, participants should allocate one to two hours for pre-reading. This will ensure they are fully prepared for hands-on class activities.
Each micro-certificate was intentionally scheduled on a different date to allow participants to register for as many as they wish.
Yes, the John Molson Executive Centre will provide you with a certificate for each program you complete.
