Bridging Businesses and Biodiversity Through Natural Capital Transfers
Sibyllina connects organisations seeking biodiversity assets with landowners who steward landscapes with functional ecosystems and facilitates a transfer of natural capital with a lease.
Simplifying Natural Capital Compliance and Conservation
Many businesses face increasing pressure to address their natural capital deficits. Regulations are evolving, with biodiversity soon following mandatory climate impact disclosures.
A right-of-use lease to recognise natural capital on a landscape is a simple mechanism for transferring that capital as an asset onto a natural capital balance sheet.
Sibyllina provides a straightforward, effective alternative to complex biodiversity credits—allowing businesses to meet sustainability commitments while supporting the long-term protection of vital ecosystems.
Simple Agreements.
Meaningful Impact.
Are you a business with a natural capital deficit seeking high-impact, simple natural capital solutions? Are you a landowner with exceptional ecosystems that you want to conserve?
Sibyllina is seeking expressions of interest from businesses seeking to add natural capital to their balance sheets and landowners in South Africa and Australia with ecosystems that they wish to conserve.
Simple, Scalable Solutions
for Natural Capital Transfers
Natural Capital Assets
Build a natural capital asset base to balance liabilities
Ecosystem Stewardship
Conserve functional ecosystems with additional income to land owners whilst accommodating other continuing productive use of land
Natural Capital Portfolios
Tailored natural capital portfolios across different landscapes to match organisations' complex impacts on nature
Our Projects
Two South African pilot projects with high-value ecosystems and high-quality biodiversity governance
Putting our Model to the Test
We are proud to showcase our pilot projects, demonstrating how lease agreements can drive biodiversity conservation while maintaining economic activity.
Santa Nature Reserve
A 1200 ha grassland and wetland property within the endangered Dullstroom Plateau Grasslands with most of the landscape qualifying as irreplaceable as a Critical Biodiversity Area. It forms part of a Strategic Water Source Area. It contributes to the conservation of important species, ecological processes and ecosystem services.
Salela
A 60 ha private farm on the Sabie River, protecting indigenous riparian forests under threat from commercial agricultural and timber harvesting activities whilst engaging with neighbouring landowners to extend conservation efforts.
A Mission Rooted in Conservation & Innovation
Sibyllina was founded by Ross Esson, Fiona Paumgarten and Richard Palmer, whose combined experience in conservation and sustainability spans nearly 20 years. Their shared vision is to offer businesses a practical and scalable approach to supporting impactful biodiversity conservation with real benefits to company balance sheets.
Richard Palmer
Engineer and sustainability consultant with 20 years of experience embedding sustainability in infrastructure, cities, and the built environment across Africa, Australia, and the Middle East.
Ross Esson
Investor, and consultant with 20 years of experience across industry and finance, with a particular focus on ESG innovations.
Dr Fiona Paumgarten
Environmental and social scientist. Has worked with rural households living in and around wilderness areas in Sub-Saharan Africa for the past 20 years. Passionate about finding the balance between the immediate needs of vulnerable rural households and the long-term protection of natural resources. Responsible for the stewardship of Salela and Santa.