The Green Finance Institute has launched its new Investment Readiness Project Toolkit, an online platform that hopes to accelerate the development of nature-based projects in the UK.
The toolkit aims to help bridge the gap between project developers and investors or lenders, mobilizing private finance into the restoration of nature and nature-based solutions.
Dr. Rhian-Mari Thomas, the CEO, of Green Finance Institute, said: “As the COP15 begins in Montreal, it’s evident there’s no time to lose in channeling more private investment towards nature-based solutions.
“The Investment Readiness Toolkit for Nature provides a clear framework to support investment into nature restoration in the UK to deliver the environmental benefits we need to see.”
The toolkit has been developed based on learnings from projects across the UK, including those in the Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund and the Investment Ready Nature Scotland Grant Scheme.
It aims to help companies set out eight critical milestones to investment readiness – each with sets of considerations and case studies.
The toolkit’s milestones include a range of environmental outcomes, such as the delivery of woodland creation, peatland restoration, nutrient reduction, natural flood management, and biodiversity uplift.
It attempts to break down the pathway for developers to follow and more swiftly reach a stage of attracting private sector finance.
It aims to guide project developers – including farmers, estate owners, charities, local authorities, and project aggregators – from initial scoping, through the identification and engagement with sellers and buyers and establishment of governance structures, to the endpoint of signing legal contracts with key stakeholders including investors or lenders.
