Finance for Resilient Landscapes

“We are pleased to support efforts to accelerate the flow of finance into landscape and jurisdictional initiatives to promote resilient commodity production. This collaborative approach will connect investors, businesses and communities across the supply chain to help achieve nature-positive outcomes at scale.”  

Paulina Villalpando, Associate Director - Nature, HSBC 

Finance for Resilient Landscapes is a collaboration led by Proforest, Conservation International (CI) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC), with philanthropic support from HSBC. The programme is a global effort to accelerate financial flows to support resilient nature-positive commodity production landscapes.    

We are starting in six critical landscapes where nature is at a frontier with agricultural production: two in Indonesia focused on palm oil, and four in Brazil focused on soy and cattle. By building on the strong foundations created through these ongoing Indonesian and Brazilian landscape and jurisdictional initiatives – programmes in which many companies have made significant investments – and linking them to the global finance sector, we can drive progress that is both scalable and sustained over time. Within each landscape we will identify and scale existing financial pathways and mechanisms that help companies and local actors access the type of capital they need to deliver on their net-zero and nature commitments whilst supporting resilient commodity production.    

This programme convenes three critical and mature stakeholder groups, namely: (1) landscape partners implementing placed-based nature protection and restoration at scale, including producers and local communities, (2) supply chain companies sourcing from these landscapes facing the need to ensure resilient supply chains for the future whilst meeting their climate and nature commitments, and (3) financiers who are looking to deploy capital for nature-positive outcomes and whose supply chain investments are vulnerable to climate shocks. Finance for Resilient Landscapes will bridge those worlds together — identifying anchor investments contributing to landscape outcomes that work for both local actors and global markets. This programme is about specific financial interventions within landscapes that deliver both production and nature conservation outcomes.  

What this means for companies: this is an opportunity to amplify existing efforts and unlock finance beyond Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) budgets by demonstrating the risk reduction benefits and returns of nature positive action. It supports regulatory compliance, meeting voluntary targets, and addresses risks (credit, materiality, and reputational).  

What this means for banks: this is a chance to align with global sustainability commitments, manage risks that are exacerbated via current agricultural practices, and tap into new market opportunities, thus protecting corporate value as well as nature.  

“There is increasing financial sector momentum: banks and investors are increasingly engaged due to the EU Deforestation Regulation and transition planning requirements under sustainable finance frameworks.” 

Dr Ruth Nussbaum, Executive Director, Proforest 

The programme focuses on resilience – future proofing agricultural businesses, banks and supply chains against shocks from supply chain disruption, physical climate risks or transition risks.   

For more on Proforest's work in responsible finance click here.