This report finds that if the world is to meet the climate change, biodiversity, and land degradation targets, it needs to close a USD 4.1 trillion financing gap in nature by 2050. The current investments in Nature-based solutions amount to USD 133 billion – most of which comes from public sources.
The State of Finance for Nature tracks global trends in public and private investment in nature-based solutions, aiming to improve data quality and identify opportunities for governments, businesses and financiers. The report calls for investments in nature-based solutions to triple by 2030 and to increase four-fold by 2050 from the current level. While an increase in public funding would help plug some of the gap, there needs to be a significant increase in private sector investment in Nature-based solutions.
The case studies presented in the report illustrate the business case and the potential for tackling climate change and environmental degradation though NbS. Examples range from the Scottish Government’s commitment to spend £250 million on peatland restoration over the next ten years, to the Green Climate Fund in Laos, which supported the implementing agency in the restoration of an urban wetland that was fundamental for ecosystem service provision, such as water flow regulation and flood risk reduction.