Financing Nature

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.