Document summary
With this report, EKO Asset Management Partners, JPMorgan Chase, The Nature Conservancy, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation are pleased to present the first study of the market for conservation-related impact investments. The report finds evidence of rapid growth and increasing interest in the market, which implies that much of the future of conservation lies with impact capital.
Through an investor survey, the research team documented $23.4 billion in global conservation impact investments from 2009 through 2013. Investments by development finance institutions (DFIs) such as the International Finance Corporation totaled $21.5 billion; private investments accounted for $1.9 billion. While private investment accounted for a small share of the total market,it is found that it grew at an average rate of 26% annually from 2009 through 2013. Further, from 2014 through 2018, private investors expect to deploy $1.5 billion of already-raised capital and to raise and invest an additional $4.1 billion. Sustainable food and fiber production projects, including forestry and agriculture, accounted for two-thirds of all private conservation investment.
Investors also reported challenges consistent with an immature market, such as a shortage of investment prospects with appropriate risk-return profiles and experienced management teams, and a lack of standardized impact metrics.
The research is a first step toward a more comprehensive understanding of a growing investment sector that has the potential to be a significant source of funding to help meet conservation needs globally.