The Tropic Forest Challenge, currently in its second year, is an international contest put on by WWF Switzerland and Ennovent. The goal is to find a for-profit initiative that is working around the world in order to tackle biodiversity problems. In 2012, the winners were Runa and Planting Empowerment
This year, the awards go to three specific categories: one for simply an idea, one for a start-up and the other for a a full-fledged company. The pros to winning the Tropic Forest Challenge include visibility, networking and capacity building. This could be a good way to get a small cash reward (1000 Euros) as well as take use of connecting with investors and others who could help the business get a leg-up.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Biodiversity Contests
- Biodiversity contests encourage for-profit social innovations that focus on tackling biodiversity problems.
- For-profit Social Innovations
- For-profit social innovations are gaining attention through contests like the Tropic Forest Challenge, which provide visibility, networking opportunities, and capacity building.
- Capacity Building for Biodiversity Solutions
- Contests like the Tropic Forest Challenge provide a platform for capacity building, helping businesses working on biodiversity solutions to grow and thrive.
Where This Applies
- Environmental Conservation
- Environmental conservation is an industry that can benefit from biodiversity contests by identifying new and innovative ways to tackle biodiversity problems.
- Social Entrepreneurship
- Social entrepreneurship is an industry that can be disrupted through for-profit social innovations that focus on solving environmental problems like biodiversity loss.
- Investment and Funding
- Investment and funding is an industry that can benefit from biodiversity contests by identifying potential investments in for-profit social innovations that focus on biodiversity solutions.
