Watch this webinar on-demand now! Click here
Our Financing Nature webinar – hosted by the Green Economy Hub at Vuka Group in collaboration with the Sustainable Finance Coalition – delivered a rich and practical discussion on one of the most critical questions in the green economy today: what nature projects are actually investable right now?
The session brought together experts across finance, biodiversity markets, community development and project implementation to unpack where capital is flowing, where it is not, and what needs to change to unlock large-scale investment into nature across Africa.
The discussion moved beyond theory to highlight real barriers and solutions, from project bankability and market demand to community-led innovation and evolving financial instruments like biodiversity credits.
You can now watch the full conversation on demand below.
Executive Summary
The webinar explored how financing nature requires more than capital availability and instead depends on designing investable projects that align environmental impact with real financial returns.
Speakers highlighted that while funding gaps for nature remain extremely large, the key challenge is not just raising money but creating the conditions for that capital to flow, including bankable revenue models, scalable project structures, and credible measurement frameworks.
The discussion emphasised that emerging tools such as biodiversity credits, blended finance and regenerative agriculture models offer promising pathways, but remain early stage and require stronger demand, policy clarity and high integrity standards to scale effectively.
Ultimately, the session reinforced that successful nature finance depends on collaboration across sectors, integrating community vision, policy signals and private capital into solutions that are both impactful and commercially viable.
“It’s not the availability of finance that’s the problem — it’s the conditions for that money to land.”
MODERATOR:
- Candice Stevens, Founder & CEO, Sustainable Finance Coalition
SPEAKERS:
- Dr Wendy Engel, Sustainable Finance Coalition
- Mahou Stefani, International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits
- Pauline Nantongo, EcoTrust Uganda
- Chris Smith, Bankers Without Borders
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Nature Finance Is a Design Challenge – The issue is not a lack of capital but a lack of investable opportunities. Projects must be structured with clear revenue models, scalability and investor-ready frameworks from the outset.
- Multiple Finance Tools Are Needed – No single solution will close the nature finance gap. Instruments such as carbon markets, biodiversity credits, blended finance and regenerative agriculture must work together as part of a broader toolbox.
- Biodiversity Credits Are Promising but Early – Nature and biodiversity credit markets are gaining traction but still face challenges around demand, standards and market integrity before they can scale.
- Communities Are Central to Investability – Successful projects start with local community vision and translate that into investable models. Co-creation and local knowledge are essential to long-term project success.
- Private Capital Requires Bankability – Investors need predictable cash flows, risk mitigation and scalable structures. Without these, even high-impact nature projects struggle to attract funding.