Mobilising Finance for Nature

Green Finance Institute / GFI Hive

About Us

In line with the broader Green Finance Institute’s vision of a greener future made possible by finance, the Nature Team (GFI Hive) is committed to supporting the transition of the global economy to one that values and invests in the natural environment.

Our mission is to increase the role of the private sector in paying for and investing in nature restoration, nature-based solutions and nature-positive outcomes, ensuring that communities are engaged and rewarded within this new paradigm.

Like our colleagues across GFI, we are wholly outcomes-focused, and work across the UK with the finance sector, government, academia, environmental NGOs and land managers to identify and unlock barriers to this mission, and increasingly work internationally to apply and gather learnings.

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Latest Insights

New expert-led report sets out key recommendations to scale private sector finance into natural flood management
Mar 20 2024
Cross-sector, expert-led natural flood management group commissioned by Defra sets out practical recommendations and a standardised approach to enable the flow of private sector capital into natural flood management projects. A multi-sector, expert-led Natural Flood Management Strategic Working Group, convened by the Green Finance Institute and commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, has today published its final recommendations for the financing of natural flood management (NFM) projects in the UK.
UK Nature-Related Risk Analysis Update
Feb 28 2024
In early 2023, the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), University of Oxford, University of Reading and the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR), in a […]
High priorities for the launch of Biodiversity Net Gain: Supporting Government in the Rollout of Mandatory BNG Policy
Feb 12 2024
This briefing note on the top five priorities for the launch of BNG has been written with input from a group of experts leading on the development of BNG projects and investment in BNG projects across England – spanning ecology, land use, academia, finance, and local government. This Group has formed to support the rollout of BNG, but also highlight that its success hinges on several factors yet to be addressed. These relate to the robust supply of, and demand for, BNG units and building capacity within the market.
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Explore the GFI Hive Toolkits

Investment Readiness Toolkit

 

The Investment Readiness Toolkit is an online and interactive framework that takes nature-based project developers and enterprises along the eight milestones of a path to ‘Investment Readiness’, providing key considerations and case studies.

This Toolkit was commissioned by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and is intended for any project developer or enterprise interested in restoring or creating natural habitats in the UK with the use of private finance – including farmers, estate owners, charities, local authorities, project developers or aggregators.

 

Farming Toolkit for Assessing Nature Market Opportunities

 

The Farming Toolkit has been commissioned by Defra as a free resource to support England’s farming community in understanding and navigating emerging nature market opportunities. It is a version of the Investment Readiness Toolkit bespoke to farmers.

The Toolkit is divided into two sections – the Introduction to Nature Markets gives an overview of nature markets as a concept and answers commons questions. The Snake provides a step-by-step guide for how nature market projects are developed in practice by farmers.

 

Latest Case Studies

Oxygen Conservation

 

Oxygen Conservation is a UK-based company that invests in land to protect and restore natural capital. In 2023, Oxygen Conservation acquired two estates in Scotland; Blackburn and Hartsgarth, and Invergeldie, which cover 23,000 acres. These acquisitions were completed through the use of a £20.55m loan facility from Triodos Bank UK – which as of September 2023 is believed to be the largest conservation-focused commercial package in the UK. Income is based on the sale of  carbon credits generated through the Peatland and Woodland Carbon Codes.

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Responsible Commodities Facility

 

The Responsible Commodities Facility provides financial incentives to produce soy in existing cleared and degraded lands in order to discourage further expansion of agricultural land in the Brazilian Cerrado. An $11m pilot fund has been launched with four-year green bonds bought by Tesco, Sainsburys and Waitrose, and the proceeds are used for low-interest loans to nine large farming groups

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Latest Podcasts

 

GFI Hive’s Financing Nature podcast will return in April 2024 with a brand new series in the lead up to COP16.  Until then please enjoy our UK Farming Toolkit Special Series of podcasts. 

 

 

Farming Toolkit Special Series: Archie Ruggles-Brise, Spains Hall Estate
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.
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Farming Toolkit Special Series: Timothy Coates, co-founder Oxbury Bank and third generation farmer
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 England's farmers in understanding nature markets as part of the new 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 'no regrets' decisions and work with the Northeast Cotswolds Farmer Cluster. Financing Nature will be making its return in April 2024 in the lead up to COP16.
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Useful Resources

Standards Framework: Nature markets - Overarching principles and framework - Specification

Date published: March 2024
The British Standards Institution (BSI) has released Version 1 of its Overarching Principles Standard, the first of a suite of upcoming standards as part of the Nature Investment Standards programme. This is intended to establish an overarching framework to ensure the functioning of high-integrity nature markets as they are developed. The document is available for public consultation until 1 May 2024.
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Guidance Paper: How Can Biodiversity Finance Plans Support NBSAPs?

Date published: March 2024
BIOFIN has published guidance on how Biodiversity Finance Plans (BFPs) can support countries in developing national biodiversity strategy and action plans (NBSAPs). While NBSAPs are the main policy instrument for implementing biodiversity targets at the national level, BFPs focus on closing the biodiversity funding gap, and can thereby support the attainment of NBSAP targets.
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Policy Paper: The Carbon Credit Price and National Tree Planting Impact of Woodland Carbon Code Admittance to the UK-ETS.

Date published: February 2024
A new policy paper has been released by Foresight Group and King's College London to assess the price impact on Woodland Carbon Units, of admitting the Woodland Carbon Code (WCC) into the UK Emissions Trading System (UK-ETS). The paper bases its modelling on the forestry sector but also examines best-practice examples from other regional markets and suggests a number of key recommendations for policymakers, regulators, and investors.
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Research Paper: Nature-Based Solutions & Risk Management. Recommendations for Integrating Nature into Risk Science & Insurance

Date published: February 2024
A report by the Center for Coastal Resilience at the University of Santa Cruz, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Guy Carpenter has been published that sets out 15 recommendations to further integrating NbS into risk science and insurance business operations in the United States. The recommendations fall under four themes: risk models; insurance coverages; public-private partnerships; and financing opportunities.
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