Gaining Ground: State of Private Investment in Nature 2026
A 10-year analysis by TNC and Forest Trends shows private investment in nature is growing fast where enabling conditions are strongest.
Nature underpins the systems our economies rely on, from food production to water security and resilient supply chains. As climate and biodiversity risks and opportunities come into sharper focus for businesses and investors, interest in nature is growing. But is that interest translating into real investment on the ground, and at the scale needed?
To explore that, The Nature Conservancy and Forest Trends developed Gaining Ground: State of Private Investment in Nature, 2026—the most comprehensive global picture to date of private capital flowing to nature. Drawing on more than a decade of data, the report examines how private investment is evolving, where it’s concentrating and the conditions that are enabling capital to flow.
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Explore the most comprehensive analysis to date of private investment in nature
DownloadAmong its findings, the report shows that private investment in nature has grown significantly over the past decade. More than $60 billion was invested in nature-oriented activities, with annual flows increasing fivefold since 2016, reaching more than $14 billion in 2025. Beyond that, more than $180 billion is committed in the years ahead, pointing to growing momentum as more institutional investors enter the space.
These investments are not just theoretical—they now support the management of more than 100 million hectares globally, demonstrating that private capital is already shaping how land and ecosystems are managed in nature-positive ways.
From interest to investment: what the data shows
Gaining Ground builds on a benchmark series first published in 2014 and draws on more than a decade of global data tracking private capital flows to nature. Based on 1,731 transactions from 2016 to 2025 and survey data from 70 institutions representing $207 trillion in AUM, the report combines survey outreach, desk research and public data sources.
The findings point to a field that has expanded significantly in both scale and complexity, shaped by growing recognition of nature-related risks and opportunities, evolving financial models, shifting macroeconomic conditions and strengthening policy signals.
Key findings include:
Private investment in nature has grown significantly, with more than $60 billion deployed over the past decade. Annual flows have increased fivefold, from $2.8 billion in 2016 to more than $14 billion in 2025, and more than $180 billion in private capital is targeted for the years ahead, underscoring accelerating momentum.
More than half of flows were to working landscapes like sustainable agriculture and forestry, where nature is the critical infrastructure underpinning food production, forest products, water security and responsible commodity supply chains.
Private investment is heavily concentrated in the Americas, with Latin America alone attracting more than $15 billion over the last decade, while regions like Africa and Asia remain significantly underfunded despite their critical ecological importance. The gap reflects the importance of policy enablers and market conditions for investment readiness.
Institutional, return-first investors increasingly view nature investments as financially competitive, with 88% of surveyed investors reporting a positive relationship between financial returns and impact. Two in three respondents used financial risk-reducing approaches, including public and philanthropic funding to attract private capital. Along with integrated models that combine multiple revenue streams, these models are helping attract a broader range of investors.
Growth is only part of the picture.
While private investment in nature is increasing, the data show that how and where capital flows matters just as much as how much is deployed. Investment is taking shape around sectors, models and markets that investors understand, highlighting what’s working today and what will be needed to unlock greater scale in the years ahead.
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Explore where capital is flowing, what’s working and what’s needed to scale investment in nature.
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