Natural Capital

‘You can see the capital interest is here’ for investing in nature-based solutions to reduce carbon emissions, said head of agriculture and natural assets Liz O’Leary.

Xpansiv, which secured a $400m investment from Blackstone Energy Partners this year, will launch the platform in 2023.

KKR Global Impact director George Aitken said nature-based solutions are the ‘perfect assets’ for investors seeking arbitrage in combination with climate impact.

The Clean Energy Finance Corporation has committed A$30m to Wyuna’s first fund, alongside property firm the Goodman Group.

The Agri Investor Australia Forum, held last week, saw constant discussion of natural capital’s potential – but the term was less familiar to international investors.

New Harvest, chaired by industry veteran Don Mackay, is aiming to hold a first close of A$150m before the end of 2022.

New Agriculture’s Bruce King and New Forests’ Mark Rogers discuss the new division’s strategy, what investors want from the asset class, and the potential blend of farmland and forestry into a single investment product.

QIC, New Forests and Macquarie Asset Management are taking different approaches to the nascent asset class, but there are common themes.

New Agriculture will be led by Bruce King, who joined the firm in 2022, and will manage the Lawson Grains portfolio it acquired in 2021.

The pair have partnered to launch a natural capital asset manager that will invest in natural climate solutions in Southeast Asia.