Nature-based solutions (NbS) are actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural and modified ecosystems that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously benefiting people and nature. They have the potential to make an essential contribution to reaching net-zero CO2 globally by around 2050, alongside other decarbonisation strategies. Nature based solutions projects of high quality and integrity could have the mitigation of up to 10 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide (GtCO2) per year, corresponding to approximately 27% of current global annual emissions. Investments in, and implementation of, Nature-based Solutions can help financial institutions mitigate risks arising from nature loss and climate change, thereby contributing to the successful achievement of the targets arising from the Paris Climate Agreement.

Although biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse have been rated by the World Economic Forum as one of the top 5 risks over the next 10 years, a financing gap estimated at US$700 billion per year to address these issues still persists. According to UNEP’s State of Finance for Nature Report, only 17% of total investments in NbS are currently from private finance. These should be increased by private capitals, bringing the total investments from the current level of US$154 billion a year to the US$384 billion a year required by 2025.

About the “Investing with Nature” webinar series

To help financial institutions discover practical ways to invest in NbS, our “Investing with Nature: Exploring Investment Opportunities Across Ecosystems” webinar series was born with funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and support from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

Here, you can find the recordings and resources from each webinar session of the series.

Investing with Nature: An Introduction to Nature-based Solutions

This webinar took place on 30 March 2023 at 14:00 CEST, and provided an introduction to NbS investing, including the definition of NbS, its landscape, financing gap, challenges, currently available products and opportunities for financial institutions.

Deep dive on Nature-based Solutions in oceans & coastal ecosystems

This webinar took place on 25 April 2023 at 15:00 CEST, and provided the audience with perspectives and tangible examples from the private and civil society sectors on their experiences investing and facilitating investments in the oceans and coastal ecosystem space.

Deep dive on Nature-based Solutions in forests

The webinar took place on 30 May 2023 at 14:00 CEST and provided the audience with an overview of why NbS in forests are important, before delving into examples of how such investments can be taken up by financial institutions, as well as a discussion on the challenges and opportunities present in the field.

Deep dive on Nature-based Solutions in freshwater

The webinar took place on 27 June 2023 at 14:00 CEST. Experts on freshwater and financial professionals with experience in freshwater NbS shared their knowledge, experience, and insights into investing in different types of NbS in freshwater ecosystems.

Deep dive on Nature-based Solutions in farmlands

The webinar took place on 27 July 2023 at 14:00 CEST. The science behind nature-based solutions in farmlands and examples of NbS insetting were introduced and explained. A group of panelists from the public and private sectors shared their perspectives and experiences on NbS in farmlands, exploring different angles such as gender, inclusion, and smallholder farmers.

Deep dive on Nature-based Solutions in urban areas

The webinar took place on the 29th of August at 14:00 CEST. A panel of experts from the public and private sectors shared their expertise on the current state of NbS in urban areas, looking at the financial opportunities linked to these projects, the current trends and developments in data collection and financing mechanisms, as well as giving current examples of NbS projects and investments in urban areas that are driving the movement for greener and more sustainable cities.

Looking forward: Scaling investments in nature-based solutions

This webinar took place on Thursday 28th of September at 16:00 CEST. As the concluding session of this webinar series, this event highlighted learnings from previous sessions and explored the future of NbS investing in the private financial sector. Speakers from different types of organizations, who have extensive experience on the topic, shared their perspectives and highlighted trends and innovations that can help scale NbS investments.