Dialogue Response: Money as an Employee, Governance as the Job Description

The first Gerana Dialogue was designed to open a conversation on how finance flows into landscapes.

A thought-provoking response came from Aimee Refaat, whose work spans nature finance, impact investing and inclusive economic development across Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

Building on Gerana's Six Levers for Landscape Systems Change, and James Vaccaro's provocation asking how money might work for landscapes - as its employee - Aimee suggests that governance holds the job description.

"If money were an employee for nature, what would nature ask her to do?"

From that starting point, Aimee explores three connected ideas. 

First, that risk is shaped as much by trust as by data. 

Second, that the different time horizons of finance and nature often shift costs onto landscapes and the people who steward them. 

And finally, that governance - who holds decision rights, who shares value and who shapes investment - is the deeper lever for change.

This is Aimee's invitation to think differently about the role finance can play in enabling resilient landscapes and thriving communities.

As she concludes, the challenge may not simply be attracting more money into landscapes, but designing financial approaches that strengthen trust, enable different forms of governance and place greater decision-making in the hands of those who know and steward landscapes best.

We hope this is the first of many responses - new thinking that emerges from our conversations and helps carry them forward. If your are inspired by Aimee, please head over to the Community Circle and join the discussion there!

Further reading:

MMW Dialogue Response: Money as an Employee, Governance as the Job Description, by Aimee Refaat (attached).