If the planet were a corporation, its balance sheet would be alarming with resources depleting faster than they can regenerate and a biodiversity funding gap reaching a staggering $700 billion annually. The 2025 World Economic Forum (WEF) aimed to tackle this crisis head-on. Amid this urgency, Nature2 presented a transformative vision: redirecting just 2% of global investments toward nature-positive initiatives. Could this bold approach redefine economic growth while addressing the climate crisis?
During January 20-24, 2025, the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos convened global leaders to confront challenges like these under the theme 'Collaboration for the Intelligent Age'. This vision, inspired by Klaus Schwab, emphasized the transformative power of converging technologies to spark societal revolutions, offering humanity the chance to rise together or risk deepening divides. Against this backdrop, ideas like Nature2 held the key to reshaping our collective future.
Setting the Stage for 2025: 5 Pillars for a Smarter Future
The 2024 meeting resonated with sentiments of resilience and unity against a backdrop of economic 'non-normality,' setting the stage for deeper exploration of collaboration amidst rapid technological and geo-economic shifts. The 2025 agenda was organized around five pivotal areas:
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Reimagining Growth: Identifying new sources of growth to build stronger, more resilient economies is crucial
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Industries in the Intelligent Age: Addressing how industries can adapt their strategies to balance short-term objectives with long-term imperatives amidst major shifts reshaping business landscapes
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Investing in People: Highlighting the impact of geoeconomic changes and the green transition on employment, healthcare, and education, stressing the need for substantial investment in human capital to foster a resilient and modern society
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Safeguarding the Planet: Focusing on innovative partnerships and the role of finance in deploying climate and clean technologies crucial for achieving global climate and nature conservation goals
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Rebuilding Trust: Seeking ways to enhance international and intra-societal collaboration amidst intensifying societal divides and geopolitical tensions
Parallel to these discussions and in the context of COP16, the question remains: How can we direct more investments towards biodiversity? The current $700 billion annual funding gap stands as a formidable barrier to effective nature conservation initiatives. This financial shortfall is segmented into two primary areas:
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Harmful Subsidies: $500 billion is spent annually on subsidies that harm the environment and need urgent reform.
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Public and Private Investments: Only $200 billion is allocated to nature conservation, a fraction of what's needed.
For every dollar invested in preserving nature, thirty dollars are funnelled into its degradation. This stark disparity highlights the urgent need for a paradigm shift in global financial strategies.
Harmful Subsidies:
$500 billion is spent annually on subsidies that harm the environment and need urgent reform.
Public and Private Investments:
Only $200 billion is allocated to nature conservation, a fraction of what's needed.
The Impact:
For every dollar invested in preserving nature, thirty dollars are funnelled into its degradation. This stark disparity highlights the urgent need for a paradigm shift in global financial strategies.
Nature2: A Game-Changing Initiative
Nature2 was co-founded by Patricia Zurita, Chief Strategy Officer at Conservation International; Jay Lipman, co-founder of Ethic; Gail Gallie, co-founder of Project Everyone; and Sam Gill, co-founder of Sylvera. Together, they bring a wealth of expertise in integrating financial markets with ecological restoration. Their mission is to bridge the gap between the world of finance and the urgent need for biodiversity conservation by creating a scalable framework for nature-positive investments. This leadership has been instrumental in shaping the initiative's bold yet pragmatic approach, driving its alignment with global conservation goals.
What if we could ensure that 2% of every person's investment directly supported nature-positive initiatives? This is the premise of Nature2, an initiative launched at Davos in 2024. Nature2 strives to transform financial paradigms by encouraging asset owners to allocate 2% of global assets under management towards investments that benefit the environment. This strategic shift in funding is not merely a financial necessity; it represents a moral commitment to fostering a sustainable relationship with our planet's ecosystems.
The Soul Forest team was introduced to Nature2 during COP16 in Cali, Colombia, in October 2024. It was clear that Nature2 aligns perfectly with our vision of "Making Nature Investable". By promoting financial frameworks that incentivize biodiversity conservation and ecological restoration, Nature2 complements our efforts to build models that demonstrate the tangible value of investing in nature.
Pathways to Sustainable Growth
Nature2's vision aligns with international efforts to bridge the biodiversity funding gap. Targeted initiatives in public finance aim to:
Boost Funding for Biodiversity: Increasing annual biodiversity investments to $30 billion by 2030, with an interim target of $20 billion by 2025
Foster Collaboration: Encouraging partnerships between governments, businesses, and financial institutions to catalyze transformative change
Investing in nature conservation and sustainable practices offers a pathway to this new kind of growth—one that is not only economic but also ecological. By framing biodiversity conservation as an investment in the future health and resilience of the planet, stakeholders can redefine economic growth to include ecological health as a fundamental component.
Nature2 and Soul Forest: A Shared Vision
At Soul Forest, we view ourselves as part of a global movement to redefine how we interact with nature. Our mission is to transform barren landscapes into biodiverse havens while demonstrating that nature can generate both ecological and financial returns. Nature2's call to redirect 2% of global investments resonates deeply with our work on the ground. It amplifies our belief that biodiversity is not a cost but an opportunity—a chance to restore balance, create resilience, and drive sustainable growth.
Through collaborative efforts at platforms like WEF and COP16, we aim to shift the narrative around biodiversity from being a niche concern to a central pillar of economic strategy. Just as Nature2 seeks to influence asset owners, Soul Forest works to build scalable, investable models that attract patient capital and drive measurable impact. Together, these initiatives can bridge the funding gap and accelerate progress toward global conservation goals.
A Turning Point at Davos
The discussions at Davos in 2025 mark a pivotal step toward a smarter, more sustainable future. By leveraging the collective action and responsible leadership fostered at the forum, Nature2 offers a blueprint for integrating ecological health into the heart of economic systems. This bold vision reminds us that saving our planet isn't just an environmental necessity but a moral and economic imperative.
If 2% of global investments could protect and restore our planet, why wouldn't we act? The answer lies in collective will and decisive leadership. The hope is that initiatives like Nature2 will inspire action that not only safeguards our planet but redefines prosperity for generations to come.
