Washington, DC, 10 April 2025 – As climate disasters, species loss, and environmental degradation dominate headlines, Forest Trends’ Ecosystem Marketplace offers a new report containing thoughtful commentary and perspectives on the deeper malfunction between our economic models and environmental future—and provides a broad set of strategies for mobilizing private funds for nature.
Nature’s investment frontier: Practical paths forward for biodiversity markets and finance examines how our global economy ignores the inherent value of nature until it is converted into commercial goods. As a result, life-sustaining services provided by forests, wetlands, and other ecosystems are disappearing—quietly, invisibly, and at immense cost.
“Biodiversity-based investment themes are suddenly in the spotlight, after years of feeling like a bit of an understudy to the carbon market,” says Genevieve Bennett, Forest Trends’ Director of Strategic Outreach and Communications. “Given a ballooning finance gap for nature, and the obvious materiality of nature risk to business, there is renewed interest in economic instruments that can drive private investment toward interventions to avert biodiversity loss or restore degraded ecosystems, and in doing so generate attractive cash flows.”
The report offers a candid look at decades of real-world experiments, from biodiversity offsets and voluntary carbon markets, to impact investing and ESG integration. Drawing on insights from leaders across finance, conservation, and policy, the report presents actionable reflections—not silver bullets—on how to move forward.
Download the report, Nature’s investment frontier: Practical paths forward for biodiversity markets and finance.
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Forest Trends works to conserve forests and other ecosystems through the creation and wide adoption of a broad range of environmental finance, markets, and other payment and incentive mechanisms.
Forest Trends’ Ecosystem Marketplace is a leading source of knowledge on market-based approaches to sustainable environmental financing around the world.