Valuing Nature

A Handbook for Impact Investing

By William Ginn

Island Press

As the world faces unprecedented challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss, the resources needed far outstrip the capabilities of nonprofits and even governments. Yet there are seeds of hope—and much of that hope comes from the efforts of the private sector. Impact investing is rapidly becoming an essential tool, alongside philanthropy and government funding, in tackling these major problems. Valuing Nature presents a new set of nature-based investment areas to help conservationists and investors work together.

NatureVest founder William Ginn outlines the emerging private sector investing opportunities in natural assets such as green infrastructure, forests, soils, and fisheries. The first part of Valuing Nature examines the scope of nature-based impact investing while also presenting a practical overview of its limitations and the challenges facing the private sector. The second part of the book offers tools for investors and organizations to consider as they develop their own projects and tips on how nonprofits can successfully navigate this new space. Case studies from around the world demonstrate how we can use private capital to achieve more sustainable uses of our natural resources without the unintended consequences plaguing so many of our current efforts.

Valuing Nature provides a roadmap for conservation professionals, nonprofit managers, and impact investors seeking to use market-based strategies to improve the management of natural systems.

Valuing Nature provides an effective and practical roadmap for conservation professionals, nonprofit managers, and impact investors seeking to use market-based strategies to improve the management of natural systems…extraordinarily informative and ultimately motivating read that is as thoughtful and thought-provoking as it is insightful and inspiring.’
Midwest Book Review

William Ginn’s book is required reading for investors interested in environmental conservation...His business acumen is apparent throughout...By the end of the book, the reader feels well-armed to go out and make his/her impact. Impact Investor

Private investment in conservation has more than doubled in the last decade. In his new book, Ginn shares specific ways on how impact investing can transform the way we help communities address critical environmental concerns. It’s a great call to action and proves there can be a capital market for sustainability. Douglas B. Petno, CEO of Commercial Banking, JPMorgan Chase & Co., TNC Board Member

Valuing Nature is required reading for anyone who feels the urgency of finding innovative ways to mobilize attitudes and capital in defense of the natural world. His approach to the growing range of environmental problems is refreshingly passionate and pragmatic. Bill presents new ways to think about the economic value in nature—and how to unlock investment value—which are clear and accessible to all stakeholders. This book is a giant step forward for those seeking practical ideas for values-based investing with concrete, measurable impact. Curtis R. Welling, Clinical Professor of Business, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth

I read Bill’s first book, Investing in Nature, and thought, ‘I can do this.’ Fifteen years later, environmental impact investments comprise 50 percent of my assets. I hope readers of Valuing Nature will be similarly inspired. Peter Boerma, conservation investor

This book provides a deep and thorough dive into the strategies, mechanics, and real and potential collaborations that serve as a road map for impact investing in sustainable natural resources. The author’s unique experiences over the last two decades inside the wheelhouse of The Nature Conservancy and its affiliate NatureVest inform this guide with both the elations and tribulations of real investment deals at the landscape scale. Peter R. Stein, Managing Director, The Lyme Timber Company; Co-Founder, The Conservation Finance Network

This is essential reading for anyone interested in conservation-related impact investing and a great collection of what is working (and not working) in conservation impact investing. Joe Glebermann, Chair of TNC Finance Committee

William Ginn is a business strategy consultant who has served in senior leadership positions in both nonprofit organizations and businesses. During his tenure at The Nature Conservancy, Ginn served as Chief Conservation Officer and then Executive Vice President, founding NatureVest, a partnership with private investors that has brought over $200 million of investment into conservation projects worldwide. He is the author of the 2005 Island Press book Investing in Nature: Case Studies of Land Conservation in Collaboration with Business.

Figures and Tables
Deal Book
Acknowledgments

Finding Value in Nature
I. Nature’s Assets
1. Transforming Water Use
2. Investing in Green Infrastructure
3. Feeding the World
4. Investing in Land
5. Oceans and Islands
6. Transforming the Way We Fish
7. Natural Capital and the Climate Economy

II. Tools for Investors
8. The NatureVest Story
9. Lessons from Other Sectors
10. Measuring Impact
11. Legal Challenges
12. Raising Investment Capital
Finding Wealth in Nature

Resources
Notes
Index
About the Author

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