Hugh McDonald

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Hugh McDonald

BCom (Hons)

Fellow

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As a Fellow at Ecologic Institute, Hugh McDonald applies an environmental economics lens to diverse environmental policy issues. His project work covers the intersection between agriculture and climate mitigation, market-based policy instruments, nature-based solutions, and biodiversity finance, among other topics. Hugh McDonald is a native English speaker and fluent in German. He and has worked at Ecologic Institute since 2016.

Much of Hugh McDonald's current work focusses on the topic areas of nature-based climate mitigation. This includes a particular focus on the agriculture and land sector and on the use of market-based instruments. For example, recent projects for the European Commission's DG CLIMA including Support on Devising a Carbon Removal Certification Mechanism (2020-22) and applying the polluter-pays principle to agricultural emissions (2022-23), as well as for the German Environment Agency on Nature-based Solutions for Climate Protection.

Hugh McDonald also participates in a number of large research projects on biodiversity and nature-based solutions. In the Horizon Europe project Pond Ecosystems for Resilient Future Landscapes in a Changing Climate (PONDERFUL), Hugh McDonald leads a task on financing small biodiversity projects. Previously, Hugh McDonald was part of the leadership team for the EU-funded Horizon 2020 project Knowledge, Assessment, and Management for Aquatic Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Across EU Policies (AQUACROSS – 2015-2019), where he acted as case study coordinator and led the Azores case study. Hugh McDonald also contributed to the climate adaptation and innovation project Bridging the Gap for Innovations in Disaster Resilience (BRIGAID), and Demonstrate Ecosystem Services Enabling Innovation in the Water Sector, as well as supporting the European Environment Agency's European Topic Centre on Inland, Coastal and Marine waters (ETC-ICM) on economic tasks.

Before coming to Berlin, Hugh McDonald worked for three years as a Research Analyst at Motu Economic and Public Policy Research in Wellington (New Zealand). His work there centred on climate policy and water pollution, with a particular focus on trading market design, transaction costs in environmental markets, environmental policy evaluation and collaborative stakeholder processes. Alongside this environmental focus, his responsibilities also included quantitative and qualitative research on a wide range of economic policy questions related to New Zealand, including health care utilisation, state housing policy, and wages in the New Zealand economy. Before starting at Ecologic Institute, Hugh also worked as a freelance copywriter and translator.

Hugh McDonald holds a Bachelor of Commerce with Honours degree in Economics from the University of Otago (New Zealand). His honours dissertation considered poverty lines, household equivalence scales and definitions of poverty in sole-parent New Zealand households.

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Recent content by Hugh McDonald

Publication:Policy Brief
 
Cover of the policy brief "Carbon removals and emissions reductions from climate-friendly soil management: defining key terms", published on 15th November 2024, writtenby Hugh McDonald.
This policy brief highlights the key role of soils in tackling climate change. Soils store almost four times more carbon than global vegetation and can both absorb carbon and reduce emissions through appropriate management measures. The document analyzes terms such as "carbon removal" and "negative emissions" and states that a precise definition is essential to avoid misunderstandings and ensure the effectiveness of climate policy.

Carbon Removals and Emissions Reductions from Climate-friendly Soil Management

Defining key terms

Year

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Presentation:Speech
 
Cover slide of the presentation titled "Financing ponds and pondscapes as nature-based solutions." Presented by Hugh McDonald, Manuel Lago, Levin Scholl, Isabel Seeger.
At the International Pond Conference 2024, which took place online from 12 to 13 November 2024, Hugh McDonald from the Ecologic Institute in Berlin presented the results of a comprehensive study on the financing of ponds and pond landscapes as nature-based solutions (NbS). The work analyzed public and private financing models and assessed their suitability for the implementation of pondscapes, and for financing NbS more broadly.

Financing Ponds and Pondscapes as Nature-based Solutions


Hugh McDonald

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Presentation:Speech
 
Cover slide of the presentation titled "Creating a National Plan for Ponds: Recommendations from the PONDERFUL Programme." The background image shows a tranquil landscape featuring shallow ponds surrounded by grassy fields and scattered trees under a blue sky with light clouds. The title and subtitle are written in white text, with authors Jeremy Biggs and Hugh McDonald listed below, along with their affiliations: Freshwater Habitats Trust, UK, and Ecologic Institute, Germany.
On 8 November 2024, the final webinar of the EU project PONDERFUL took place. Led by Professor Jeremy Biggs (Freshwater Habitats Trust) and Hugh McDonald (Ecologic Institute), it discussed how national and regional plans can be developed to protect, restore and create ponds and ponded landscapes. The aim was to inform policymakers on how these small but effective ecosystems can be used as nature-based solutions (NbS) to adapt to and mitigate climate change.

Creating a National Plan for Ponds


Hugh McDonald

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Publication:Brochure
 
Cover of the "Ponderful: Ponds for Climate" technical guide. The top section shows a serene pond surrounded by lush greenery and a large tree in the foreground. Below, the title "Ponds and Pondscapes" appears on a blue background, followed by the subtitle: "A technical guide to the use of ponds and pondscapes as nature-based solutions for climate change mitigation and adaptation." The bottom section features an underwater image of a colorful newt among aquatic vegetation.
The technical handbook of the PONDERFUL project shows how ponds and pond landscapes can be used as Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) to tackle societal challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss and water scarcity. The PONDERFUL handbook provides practice-oriented guidelines for dealing with these valuable ecosystems and shows how ponds can be integrated into existing landscapes so that nature and people benefit equally.

Ponds and Pondscapes: A technical guide to the use of ponds and pondscapes as nature-based solutions for climate change mitigation and adaptation

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Publication:Brochure
 
Cover of the "Using Ponds and Pondscapes as Nature-Based Solutions" guidance document. The left side shows a young girl sitting on a wooden pier extending into a calm pond surrounded by lush greenery. The right side features the title and subtitle in bold white text on a green gradient background: "Using Ponds and Pondscapes as Nature-Based Solutions: Guidance for policy makers on the use of ponds and pondscapes as nature-based solutions for climate change mitigation and adaptation."
The recently published guide "Using ponds and pondscapes as nature-based solutions" is a practical guide for policy makers. The guide provides detailed recommendations on using ponds and pondscapes as nature-based solutions, in particular to adapt to climate change and promote biodiversity. In addition to the policy dimension, it contains practical suggestions for monitoring, management and restoration of ponds.

Using Ponds and Pondscapes as Nature-based Solutions

Guidance for policy makers

Year

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Project
 
This project will support the European Commission's DG CLIMA to develop policies related to the financing of permanent carbon removal technologies, with an emphasis on mechanisms that can accelerate their upscaling. These include tools like public procurement, public-private partnerships, and EU funding instruments.

Strategy for the Financing of Permanent Carbon Removals

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Presentation:Speech
 
Image of cover slide for presentation: Nature-based Solutions for Climate Protection Financing climate-friendly soil management
Hugh McDonald presented preliminary findings from the final report "Funding climate friendly soil management: Appropriate policy instruments and limits of market-based approaches" to an audience of more than 100 staff from the German Environment Agency.

Nature-based Solutions for Climate Protection


Hugh McDonald

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News
 
A banner with the inscription “PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS OPEN! On the findings of the CREDIBLE Focus Group. Minimum requirements to ensure that carbon farming delivers sustainability benefits” against a background of hay bales in a field.
As part of Project Credible, we invite stakeholders and citizens to join the discussion on carbon farming in the EU by providing feedback on the project reports during this public consultation. This is your opportunity to shape the ongoing development of the Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF) and the broader discussion on carbon farming in the EU. The feedback you provide in the public consultations will be shared with the broader expert community and policymakers to ensure that EU carbon farming policy works with and for farmers, delivering climate and biodiversity benefits.
 

Public Consultations on Carbon Farming!

Influence the ongoing development of the European Carbon Removal Certification Framework

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News
 
A banner with the inscription “PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS OPEN! On the findings of the CREDIBLE Focus Group. Minimum requirements to ensure that carbon farming delivers sustainability benefits” against a background of hay bales in a field.
As part of the Credible project, we invite stakeholders and citizens to participate in the discussion on carbon farming in the EU by providing feedback on the project reports during this public consultation. This is your opportunity to influence the ongoing development of the Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF) and the wider discussion on carbon farming in the EU. The feedback provided through your comments during the public consultation will be shared with the wider expert community and policy makers to ensure that EU policy on carbon farming works with and for farmers and delivers climate and biodiversity benefits.
 

Public Consultations on Carbon Farming!

Influence the ongoing development of the European Carbon Removal Certification Framework

Read more