The Katoomba Group is an international working group composed of leading experts from forest and energy industries, research institutions, the financial world, and environmental NGOs dedicated to advancing markets for some of the ecosystem services provided by forests – such as watershed protection, biodiversity habitat, and carbon storage.
The Katoomba Group seeks to address key challenges for developing markets for ecosystem services, from enabling legislation to establishing new market institutions, to developing strategies for pricing and marketing, and monitoring performance. The Katoomba Group builds on the knowledge and experience of network members who attend international convenings. The group met for the first time in Katoomba, Australia in 1999. Subsequent meetings have taken place in Vancouver, Rio de Janeiro, London, Tokyo, Zürich, and Bangkok. The meetings provide a forum for exchange as members seek to influence key policy-makers and catalyze diverse partnerships.
Serving as a source of ideas for and strategic information on ecosystem service markets, the Katoomba Group provides an array of market analyses and tools. The group recently launched a new initiative, Ecosystem Marketplace. The Ecosystem Marketplace is the place where providers and beneficiaries of ecosystem services get together to capture the value associated with ecosystem services. We provide a coordinated informative platform for users and providers of ecosystem services to meet and communicate. Furthermore, we improve the quality and value of ecosystem transactions by providing up-to-date information, news, and expertise.
The Katoomba Group also engages in market education and advocacy to enable the legislation and institutions needed for payment schemes to work appropriately. One initiative, the Forest Climate Alliance, has brought environmental and rural development leaders together to promote the development of forest carbon markets that conserve biodiversity and mitigate climate change while improving the livelihoods of poor communities. The Alliance seeks to explore how forest carbon can be a strategic interface between the Rio Convention's and the Millennium Development Goals.
Gatherings of The Katoomba Group are sponsored by Forest Trends, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization created in 1999 by leaders from conservation organizations, forest product firms, research groups, multilateral development banks, private investment funds and foundations. Its mission is to conserve forests by promoting more diverse trade in the forest sector - moving beyond an exclusive focus on lumber and timber to a broader range of products and services.