FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Chicago, IL and Sao Paulo, Brazil – September 19, 2023 – Laconic Infrastructure Partners Inc. (Laconic), a leading global provider of environmental intelligence services, and Pro Natura International (PNI), a global non-profit development agency, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the State of Mato Grosso, Brazil, that will help facilitate the State’s commitment to fully decarbonize its economy by 2035, according to the Mato Grosso Carbon Neutral Program. This partnership will make it possible to obtain the funding needed to promote sustainable economic growth.

The world is increasingly seeing the devastating weather effects of climate change proving that more dramatic efforts to decarbonize are needed. The State of Mato Grosso has the largest ongoing decarbonization program in Brazil. The goal of this program is to neutralize greenhouse gas emissions by 2035, well ahead of the UN’s 2050 goal. The plan combines a variety of carbon sequestration activities to meet an intermediate goal of reducing carbon emissions by 80% by 2030, a uniquely ambitious intention. This sustainable development strategy, known as Produce, Conserve, include (PCI) is an investment-ready jurisdictional model designed to meet aggressive targets. These include producing more agricultural commodities, conserving natural resources, and including smallholders and indigenous people in economic development initiatives.

This strategic MOU will provide the much-needed ecosystem/environmental accounting, promote sustainable development, and fund socio-economic projects in the State of Mato Grosso. Laconic’s SADAR^TM platform and state-of-the-art, full-stack Natural Capital Monetization (NCM) engine will aggregate and disaggregate environmentally linked data to help fund and champion the interests of all stakeholders in the global carbon market. The small and medium enterprises (such as the stewards of the land), that have been so often overlooked in the past will now be able to benefit. This process ensures true data equity for a wide variety of stakeholders, all while facilitating the State’s achievement of its NetZero 2035 pledge made at COP26 in Glasgow.

Equally important is the role that PNI plays and its unique Shared Value Platform (SVP) that was developed in conjunction with the International Finance Corporation (IFC). SVP is designed to drive localized, sustainable economic development, such as the creation of new job opportunities and the fostering of local entrepreneurship, all while promoting United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (UN SDG).  The SVP leverages the information flows created by NCM to allow any stakeholder (individual or corporate) to participate in the collective monetization of the natural capital of the State of Mato Grosso (beginning with carbon – but not limited to carbon) at no cost to either the stakeholder(s) or the State.

“We are proud to be one of the first states in Brazil to have such an aggressive NetZero goal. It is extremely important to us that we meet our pledge targets to help mitigate climate change and not let our constituents down,” said Otaviano Olavo Pivetta, Mato Grosso Deputy Governor. “With Laconic’s  NCM technology we can appropriately monetize our natural assets and join the global carbon market, all while meeting our PCI strategy to improve the State’s economic growth and provide financial remuneration to all stakeholders, including local indigenous smallholders and stewards of the land.”

“The significance of this MOU brings to light the true value our Natural Capital Monetization service provides in monetizing natural assets into carbon credits or any other environmental variable (i.e. methane, ocean, air, etc.) into credits,” said Andrew Gilmour, co-founder and CEO, Laconic. “For the first time, all stakeholders, large or small, can receive funds for their stewardship of the land. It’s true data equity and we are pleased to work with the State of Mato Grosso and PNI to achieve this and help reduce the world’s GHG emissions.”

“When I first met Laconic a year ago, I couldn’t imagine that we would be announcing a strategic agreement a year later with the State of Mato Grosso leveraging Laconic’s unique NCM technology,” said Marcelo de Andrade, Founder and Chairman of Pro Natura International.  “I’m extremely gratified that with this project the increased financial resources will enable us to enhance the decarbonization initiatives in the state of Mato Grosso, but equally important, we will bring to light the benefits of the Shared Value Platform and address pressing societal challenges, such as in rural areas.”

About SADAR^™ Platform

The SADAR^™ (Sentient All-Domain Augmented Response) platform powers Laconic’s Environmental Intelligence services and Natural Capital Monetization (NCM) engine. By combining environmental data-gathering, geospatial analytics using AI/ML, automated data quality/pedigree analysis, and environmentally-linked securities monetization & trading facilitation, the industry can trade on global carbon markets, ensuring that all stakeholders involved receive financial remuneration.

About the State of Mato Grosso

Mato Grosso is a state in the Central-West region of Brazil. It is the third largest federative unit in territorial extension, 903,207.050 km², with a population of just over 3.6 million inhabitants. Mato Grosso is a hyper-biodiversity hub with three biomes, including 1) Pantanal (7%): World’s largest tropical wetland, and UNESCO world heritage; 2) Cerrado (40%): World’s most biodiverse Savannah and; 3) Amazon (53%): World’s largest rainforest. Mato Grosso leads the largest decarbonization project underway in Brazill: Mato Grosso Carbon Neutral. The goal is to neutralize greenhouse gas emissions by 2035. The State is an example of sustainability for Brazil and the world, by combining large-scale food production with environmental preservation. The state also stands out as the most important player in food production in Brazil, preserving 62% of its territory, encompassing areas of legal reserve and permanent preservation, indigenous territories and conservation units. Mato Grosso feeds 300 million people indirectly around the world, using 13% of its arable land. Furthermore, Mato Grosso has an efficient monitoring and controlling deforestation system and in 2023 alone, the Government of Mato Grosso is investing R$77 million to combat environmental illegalities.

About Pro Natura International

Founded in Brazil in 1985, Pro Natura International (PNI) is a global non-profit development agency that has been addressing the social, economic and environmental challenges facing rural communities in the development world for over 38 years. Click here to enter text.Together with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), PNI developed the Shared Value Platform (SVP) which is designed to promote long-term sustainable, inclusive and climate friendly developments in vulnerable regions with financial assistance. PNI has offices throughout Europe and the U.S. with the aim to establish scientific links and relationships with key institutions looking to fund conservation projects in the Southern Hemisphere.  For more information, please visit http://www.pronaturainternational.org

About Laconic

Laconic is the leading global provider of Environmental Intelligence services. We provide governments, financial institutions and corporations with actionable insights that enable critical environmental decisions for sustainable growth. Our SADAR™ Platform uses state-of-the-art data gathering, in-situ monitoring, sensing and geospatial technology to assess alternative scenarios and make ecologically sound business decisions based on multi-modal analytics. We partner with our clients to develop bespoke solutions that address diverse issues such as regional food security, decarbonization, financial compliance obligations, and habitat preservation. Our solutions respect and preserve the integrity of local social, cultural, and economic norms, while actively promoting sustainable growth. Founded in 2019, the company is a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) and headquartered in Chicago, with offices in Toronto, San Diego and Bali. For more information, please visit https://laconicglobal.com/ and https://www.natureworks.tv/

Laconic, SADAR, and NatureWorks are trademarks or registered trademarks of Laconic Infrastructure Partners Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. All other names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Mato Grosso media contacts:
Mato Grosso
redacao@secom.mt.gov.br

Pro Natura International media contacts:
Jose Rozinei da Silva
jrs@pronaturainternational.org

Laconic media contacts:
Elke Heiss
elke.heiss@laconicglobal.com