Financing Nature

Join us for this special episode of our mini-series, Farming Nature, as Archie Ruggles-Brise shares his experience and advice on preparing for Biodiversity Net Gain. We also hear about interventions across his Essex farm such as the introduction of beavers for flood management. This episode is designed to support farmers working through Milestone 5 of our Farming Toolkit. Our regular podcast, Financing Nature, will return in April 2024.

From January 2024 to the end of March 2024, GFI's Financing Nature podcast is becoming Farming Nature - a series of audio interviews designed to support UK farmers in understanding nature markets as part of the newly-launched Farming Toolkit on GFI Hive.

In this episode, Timothy Coates, co-founder of Oxbury Bank and third generation farmer shares why he is adapting his farm ready to sell units and credits, his views on pricing and 'no regrets' decisions and his work with the Northeast Cotswolds Farmer Cluster.

Financing Nature will be making its revamped return in April 2024 interviewing representatives from project developers, policy makers and financial institutions around the world in the lead up to COP16.

In this episode of Financing Nature in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme for COP15 in Montréal, we speak to those on the ground to hear why they have come, what they are hoping for from the negotiations on the crucial Global Biodiversity Framework, and their own work in halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030. Topics cover the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and data; financial sector engagement; business engagement and the role of subsidies; indigenous peoples and local communities; and the role of governments and public sector finance. 

Guests include representatives from the TNFD, NatCap Research, Finance for Biodiversity Foundation, Federated Hermes, Schroders, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Nestlé, Junglekeepers and UNEP FI. 

In this special episode at the start of COP15 in Montreal in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme, guests Elizabeth Mrema, Executive Secretary, and David Ainsworth, Information Officer, at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity join the Green Finance Institute's Helen Avery. Together they share what we need to see over the 12 days of the Conference including within the Global Biodiversity Framework and its targets, commitments to reduce harmful subsidies, and greater actions to increase financial flows for nature restoration and protection.  

In this final episode of our COP27 Special Series with the United Nations Environment Programme, we are joined from UNEP's Ecosystems Division by Susan Gardner, Head of the Ecosystems Division and Ivo Mulder, Head of the  Climate Finance Unit. Susan and Ivo wrap up the series by sharing what they hope to see happen at COP27 and the actions we collectively need to take to ensure that nature restoration and nature-based solutions receive the investment they urgently require. 

Over 70% of the planet's surface is cover with water, yet when it comes to protecting and restoring oceans health, finance is sorely missing. Indeed, only 0.01% of all climate finance is invested into marine and coastal nature based solutions. In this fourth episode of the Financing Nature COP27 Special Series with UNEP, Karen Sack, executive director at the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance, and Yabanex Batista, Deputy Head of the UN's Global Team for the Global Coral Reef Fund, discuss the role of coastal communities and our seas in climate mitigation and adaptation, and what we need to see to mobilise greater investment. 

Africa, host to COP27, is also host to 30% of the world's biodiversity. It is also a continent on an accelerated economic growth trajectory. This episode, guests Kaddu Sebunya, CEO, African Wildlife Foundation and David Cheboryot, Director of Entrepreneurship Centres – Africa - E4Impact Foundation share how economic growth, community development and conservation can go hand in hand, and how private finance and the private sector can play their role. Finally, the guests discuss their hopes for COP27 from governments. 

In our second episode of Financing Nature's special series with UNEP, Andrew Deutz, Director of Global Policy, Institutions and Conservation Finance at The Nature Conservancy shares the need to mobilise government and development bank aid into nature restoration projects, and the role of guarantees and insurance, and Yasmine Sagita, Chief of People, Sustainability and Corporate Affairs at rubber company, PT Royal Lestari Utama (RLU) discusses the Tropical Landscape Finance Facility (TLFF) which was funded by the world's first sustainability bond. 

In this first episode of Financing Nature's COP27 Special Series from the Green Finance Institute and United Nations Environment Programme, we explore how the finance sector can reduce deforestation and finance reforestation, and frame up what we need from global leaders at COP27. Helen Avery speaks with Champions Finance Lead, Sagarika Chatterjee, about the work of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) and global commitments and solutions, and José Pugas, head of responsible investments and engagement at JGP Asset Management in Brazil shares with Jessica Smith the work of IFACC (Innovative Finance for the Amazon, Cerrado and Chaco) and the needs of the Global South.

On October 5th, The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Green Finance Institute (GFI) will launch a five-episode special series of Financing Nature in the lead up to COP27. Each episode will showcase a project on the ground in the Global South, and interviews with leading figures in the world of finance and nature to discuss what we need from our global governments in Egypt this November.  

The Environmental Farmers Group (EFG) is a new co-operative for UK farmers - led by farmers - that collectively trades natural capital. It is already securing trades for phosphate reduction and employs an equalisation model so that farmers of all sizes in the co-operative benefit, and to ensure that landscape scale environmental improvements are being made. Chris Sparrow, Co-Founder Director of EFG, joins us this week to walk through the model and why it's gaining increasing attraction from farmers across the UK.  

In this episode, Margaret Kuhlow, Global Finance Lead at WWF International, walks us through several of the organisation's bankable nature solutions including project finance for permanence, as well as sharing hopes and concerns for COP27 and COP15. 

This week Emily McKenzie joins us to share more about the inner workings of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures and the challenges of shifting financial flows to nature positive. The TNFD is delivering a risk management and disclosure framework for organisations to report and act on evolving nature-related risks which be launching in 2023. 

The Landscape Resilience Fund was designed by South Pole and WWF to lend to and invest in SMEs in emerging markets that are tackling climate adaptation. Urs Dieterich, managing director of the Fund, shares how climate adaptation and conservation go hand in hand, the similarities between financing both, and more about the Fund and its initial investment. 

What kind of standards, codes and governance structures are needed for investors to have confidence in buying carbon credits? In the UK, many carbon codes are under development to allow for the sale of credits from nature restoration. Professor Mark Reed has been a leading voice in the role of governance, as well as being the architect of the Peatland Carbon Code and involved in the development of other codes across the UK. In this episode, he shares his thinking on the next steps around governance infrastructure for the emerging UK environmental markets. 

Australia has been a pioneer in the development of a market for soil carbon, among other carbon markets in the the land sector. In this episode, Louisa Kiely, Director at Carbon Farmers of Australia, talks us through how the market is evolving. 

Natural Asset Companies, or NACs, are the creation of Intrinsic Exchange Group (IEG). They offer a new asset class to investors seeking nature positive opportunities - publicly listed companies dedicated to the restoration and preservation of nature, and with values based on natural assets. In this episode, Douglas Eger, founder of IEG walks us through how they work, and when we can expect the first listing. 

In 2016, ASN Bank set itself a target to become a nature net-positive bank by 2030. That commitment led the bank to measure the biodiversity impact of its loan portfolio and investments, and, more recently, for ASN Impact Investors to establish the first listed fund for nature investments for the retail sector. Roel Nozeman, who leads the bank's biodiversity work, in addition to being the programme chair of the Partnership for Biodiversity Accounting Financials, shares more about work of the bank and broader financial sector ambitions for a nature-positive future. 

How can private equity investments in early stage technology firms support large-scale land restoration projects? And, what do investors in each look for? In this episode, Anne-Laurence Roucher, Deputy CEO of Mirova, shares her firm's approach to natural capital in both land and marine restoration and through private equity investments, as well as touching on the barriers and solutions to driving greater private capital into nature. 

The Taskforce on Nature Markets launched at the end of March. In this episode, co-chairs of the Secretariat, Simon Zadek and Marcelo Furtado of Finance for Biodiversity, share about the Taskforce's ambitions, and its work to embed "nature positive and equitable impact" across global markets. 

The Scottish National Investment Bank was set up at the end of 2020 to provide debt and equity investment to businesses in Scotland that support net zero, innovation and equality. Natural capital features high on its agenda, and chair of the Bank, Willie Watt, shares his insights on nature-related investment opportunities in Scotland and the Bank's strategy. 

Environmental DNA, or eDNA, is revolutionising the way companies can measure their impact on nature. Katie Critchlow, CEO of NatureMetrics that has brought eDNA into the mainstream, shares the work her firm are doing in supporting the move to nature positive, and creating investment opportunities in nature restoration. Katie also shares her insights into the role of data and technology in supporting the broader mission of financing nature.

How do eNGOs begin to adopt commercial finance in order to pay for conservation or restoration aims? Gwyn Williams, head of conservation investment, shares the experience of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) as the charity has expanded to debt and equity finance, in addition to exploring forms of private finance - such as peatland carbon credits or biodiversity net gain - in order to meet conservation demands. 

The social impact investment market in the UK has grown to almost £10billion. What can we learn from its development and apply to the emerging nature investment space? Richard Speak, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Finance Earth and Managing Director of Finance for Sustainability, shares his experience from working in both social finance and nature finance, and highlights the key building blocks that helped the growth in social impact investment market that could be replicated to boost nature finance. 

Evan Bowen-Jones joins us for this episode of Financing Nature to talk about the Wilder Carbon Standards, and his experience of the development of nature markets as CEO of Kent Wildlife Trust. The Standards have been developed to capture benefits from beyond carbon sequestration alone, and pilots are underway to test them. 

Sustainable forestry is becoming an increasingly sought-after investment as people look to timber as a climate solution. Radha Kuppalli, managing director of  impact and advocacy at New Forests Asset Management in Australia, joins us this episode to talk about how the market is developing; how carbon is increasing the attractiveness of timber assets; and how her company is looking at impact - including the new TAFF2  - a fund with a dedicated impact tranche. 

In this episode, Gabe Eickhoff walks us through the different businesses of Lestari Capital from driving forest restoration through the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil and other certification schemes to closing the time and finance gap for carbon projects. Gabe also discusses stacking and bundling and the role of technology in improving efficiency of project development. 

In this episode, Zach Knight, co-founder and CEO of Blue Forest Conservation, shares the details of the Forest Resilience Bond (FRB) - a financial structure that delivers outcomes from fire risk mitigation to improved water quality in the Tahoe National Forest, California. 

In this episode, Liv Garfield, CEO of Severn Trent, shares how the water company is approaching biodiversity, and the role of companies more broadly in thinking about becoming nature positive through her role as chief executive of the Council for Sustainable Business. 

What are the opportunities for investors in the coastal and marine space? In this episode, Dorothee Herr joins Helen Avery at GFI Hive to discuss the work of the Blue Natural Capital Financing Facility that provides funding to projects and businesses with ocean and coastal restoration at their heart, and the role of blue carbon and standards.

In this episode, Sonya Likhtman of International Federated Hermes discusses why investors are more keenly looking at companies' nature-related impacts and dependencies, and the role of stewardship and engagement. She also explains the importance of COP15, and how the finance and business community is engaging with the development of those global biodiversity targets. 

In this episode Jeremy Leggett shares about his work in nature restoration in the north of Scotland, and how he is viewing investment in natural capital including the role of impact investors, the need for retail crowdfunding, the gap in bank debt and the importance of policies that support communities. 

In this episode, life-long conservationist, Julian Matthews, shares about his new company, Real Wild Estates, that is aiming to help UK land managers restore nature. The company was recently invested in by the L'Oreal Fund for Nature Regeneration - an impact investment fund. 

Environmental impact bonds for water quality, carbon and water quality payments for farmers and forest recreational activities paid by motel lodging taxes - just some of the hugely innovative products developed by Quantified Ventures that guest Eric Letsinger shares on this episode of Financing Nature. Plus, what's next for Quantified Ventures. Join the Green Finance Institute's Helen Avery as she talks to Eric about how to finance NbS. 

In this episode Kevin Bender of The Nature Conservancy talks through the intricacies of the recent Belize debt conversion that included a blue loan, insurance from the IDFC, the issuance of blue bonds to investors, a Conservation Fund, an endowment and, for good measure, parametric insurance. It's a complex deal, but one that is replicable for other countries with sovereign debt trading at a discount and a commitment to conservation. 

Trees for Life is on a mission to rewild the Highlands in partnership with community. Alan McDonnell, conservation manager at the charity discusses how private finance and investment such as the sale of carbon credits, and a £2million retail bond via Triodos is helping Trees for Life reach that goal. One to listen to for those looking at investments in ecotourism, carbon or interested in how to engage community. 

How can large institutional investors enter into natural capital? In this episode, Martin Berg, Head of Nature Impact Strategy at Climate Asset Management discusses the opportunities available and ideas for how to scale up investing in nature. Martin also shares his experience from the EIB's Natural Capital Finance Facility and the role and ambitions of the Natural Capital Investment Alliance. 

In our first episode, Sir Dieter Helm, Professor of Economic Policy at Oxford University andformer Chair of the Natural Capital Committee reflects on its eight years of work, and revisits the plan laid out in his 2019 book, A Green and Prosperous Land - A Blueprint for Rescuing the British Countryside. Talking with GFI Hive's Helen Avery, he highlights the need for systems-based approach and the role of government in ensuring private finance finds its way into nature-based projects.

GFI Hive at the Green Finance Institute is launching a new podcast, Financing Nature, dedicated to exploring how to drive greater private investment into nature restoration and nature-based solutions.