Unlocking private finance for forests

There is a large gap between the amount of funding required to restore degraded land and the amounts available. Private finance is critical, but at present hardly available to restore degraded land. UNEP's Seed Capital Assistance Facility for Forest Landscape Restoration will work directly with private equity firms and other investors to scale up private investment for landscape restoration, biodiversity and sustainable land use in support of the Bonn Challenge. Natural Strategies' Director Alexander Koch leads the development of UNEP's corresponding full scale funding proposal to the German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (BMU) - IKI.

Among others, Alexander develops the proposal's results framework, the provisions on environmental and social safeguards in line with the IFC safeguards framework, the risk mitigation strategies, the innovative and transformative aspects and the strategy for sustainability and replication.

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By acting as a catalyst to channel private capital to restore landscapes, protect forests and make degraded land productive again, the Facility seeks to contribute to sustainable economic growth, climate change mitigation and protection of biodiversity.