{"id":17308,"date":"2026-04-10T08:31:31","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T08:31:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/april.hellopomelo.space\/?p=17308"},"modified":"2026-05-18T08:34:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T08:34:29","slug":"the-business-case-for-investing-in-nature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/april.hellopomelo.space\/id\/articles\/the-business-case-for-investing-in-nature\/","title":{"rendered":"The Business Case for Investing in Nature"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row type=&#8221;in_container&#8221; full_screen_row_position=&#8221;middle&#8221; column_margin=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction_tablet=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction_phone=&#8221;default&#8221; scene_position=&#8221;center&#8221; text_color=&#8221;dark&#8221; text_align=&#8221;left&#8221; row_border_radius=&#8221;none&#8221; row_border_radius_applies=&#8221;bg&#8221; row_position_desktop=&#8221;default&#8221; row_position_tablet=&#8221;inherit&#8221; row_position_phone=&#8221;inherit&#8221; overflow=&#8221;visible&#8221; overlay_strength=&#8221;0.3&#8243; gradient_direction=&#8221;left_to_right&#8221; shape_divider_position=&#8221;bottom&#8221; bg_image_animation=&#8221;none&#8221;][vc_column column_padding=&#8221;no-extra-padding&#8221; column_padding_tablet=&#8221;inherit&#8221; column_padding_phone=&#8221;inherit&#8221; column_padding_position=&#8221;all&#8221; flex_gap_desktop=&#8221;10px&#8221; column_element_direction_desktop=&#8221;default&#8221; column_element_spacing=&#8221;default&#8221; desktop_text_alignment=&#8221;default&#8221; tablet_text_alignment=&#8221;default&#8221; phone_text_alignment=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color_opacity=&#8221;1&#8243; background_hover_color_opacity=&#8221;1&#8243; column_backdrop_filter=&#8221;none&#8221; column_shadow=&#8221;none&#8221; column_border_radius=&#8221;none&#8221; column_link_target=&#8221;_self&#8221; column_position=&#8221;default&#8221; gradient_direction=&#8221;left_to_right&#8221; overlay_strength=&#8221;0.3&#8243; width=&#8221;1\/1&#8243; tablet_width_inherit=&#8221;default&#8221; animation_type=&#8221;default&#8221; bg_image_animation=&#8221;none&#8221; border_type=&#8221;simple&#8221; column_border_width=&#8221;none&#8221; column_border_style=&#8221;solid&#8221;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221; text_direction=&#8221;default&#8221;]\n<ul>\n<li>An estimated 55% of global GDP depends on nature, yet a US$700 billion annual finance gap remains.<\/li>\n<li>APRIL has invested over US$75 million in nature conservation since 2020.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Speaking at a training programme hosted recently by the International Union for Nature (IUCN), Craig Tribolet, Director of Sustainability and External Affairs, APRIL Group, shared updates on the company\u2019s rationale for its extensive investments in conservation and natural landscape management, as well as on the broader argument for private sector investment in nature.<\/p>\n<p>At the heart of the case for sustained corporate support lies a simple truth: the global economy depends heavily on nature. \u201cIf nature stopped tomorrow, and all the ecosystem services that nature provides for free were to cease, then the world would stop tomorrow,\u201d Tribolet told the academy\u2019s Finance for Nature programme. It is\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwc.co.uk\/press-room\/press-releases\/corporate-news\/more-than-half-of-global-gdp-is-exposed-to-material-nature-risk-.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">estimated that 55% of global GDP depends on it<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0around US$58 trillion.<\/p>\n<p>Companies are increasingly required to recognise nature as both a strategic asset but also a source of business risk, which\u00a0 especially true for those that rely on extensive land concessions like APRIL. The physical risks around nature deterioration and climate disruption include fires, flooding, pests, plant diseases, worsening soil fertility, acidification and changes to water quality.[\/vc_column_text][image_with_animation image_url=&#8221;17310&#8243; image_size=&#8221;full&#8221; max_width=&#8221;100%&#8221; max_width_mobile=&#8221;default&#8221; animation_type=&#8221;entrance&#8221; animation=&#8221;None&#8221; animation_movement_type=&#8221;transform_y&#8221; hover_animation=&#8221;none&#8221; alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; border_radius=&#8221;none&#8221; box_shadow=&#8221;none&#8221; image_loading=&#8221;default&#8221; display_caption=&#8221;1&#8243;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221; text_direction=&#8221;default&#8221;]Beyond physical risks, other nature-related factors include national and international regulations and reputational risk. Increasingly, access to finance is tied to environmental performance, with favourable rates offered by lenders to organisations that meet nature-related benchmarks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNature is increasingly understood as an economic asset, but it\u2019s now also viewed as a financial risk and companies today are exceedingly sensitive to risk because it underpins everything they do. If we can build the case that ignoring nature is a core risk, then it makes it easier to build a business case to integrate nature and nature finance into business models,\u201d said Tribolet.<\/p>\n<p>All these factors have prompted a shift at APRIL: from viewing nature finance as a cost to seeing it as a long-term investment. That move happened in parallel with a broader transformation in the market. \u201cExpectations of investors, stakeholders and customers on these issues have risen significantly in the last few years,\u201d Tribolet told the IUCN students.<\/p>\n<p>There is a growing realisation that the nature finance gap \u2013\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.unepfi.org\/themes\/ecosystems\/governments-adopt-first-global-strategy-to-finance-biodiversity-implications-for-financial-institutions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">estimated at over US$700 billion annually<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 is too large\u00a0to be met by governments and NGOs alone. Mobilising private sector capital is vital to close the gap and prevent further environmental deterioration. For APRIL, this means a long-term commitment to professional,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aprildialog.com\/en\/2025\/12\/18\/a-decade-of-scientific-challenge-and-collaboration-in-peatland-management\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">science-based landscape management<\/a>, across both production forests and extensive natural forest and regeneration areas.<\/p>\n<p>A key element of this commitment to nature is the Restorasi Ekosistem Riau conservation project, which was founded by APRIL in 2013. It is a highly biodiverse area of largely untouched peat swamp rainforest that is around the size of Greater London. It is home to 14 species classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN, including the Sumatran tiger and Sunda pangolin.<\/p>\n<p>The company funds its conservation work through an ongoing mechanism that directly links production to nature protection. It applies an internal conservation levy of US$1 for every tonne of plantation wood that enters the mill. So as production increases, so does the capacity to invest in conservation \u2013 thereby building nature protection into APRIL\u2019s core business strategy. To date, this mechanism has yielded more than US$75 million to support RER and wider nature protection work including community conservation schemes and other projects outside APRIL\u2019s concessions.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, APRIL launched its Thriving Nature strategy at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi. It brings together the strategic thinking behind APRIL\u2019s commitment to nature and sets a course for the coming years. Tribolet said the strategy entails continued \u201csignificant investments\u201d in nature as the company grows. \u201cWe have the support of the shareholder to maintain and increase the focus on our nature-based commitments,\u201d he said.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row type=&#8221;in_container&#8221; full_screen_row_position=&#8221;middle&#8221; column_margin=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction_tablet=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction_phone=&#8221;default&#8221; scene_position=&#8221;center&#8221; text_color=&#8221;dark&#8221; text_align=&#8221;left&#8221; row_border_radius=&#8221;none&#8221; row_border_radius_applies=&#8221;bg&#8221; row_position_desktop=&#8221;default&#8221; row_position_tablet=&#8221;inherit&#8221; row_position_phone=&#8221;inherit&#8221; overflow=&#8221;visible&#8221; overlay_strength=&#8221;0.3&#8243; gradient_direction=&#8221;left_to_right&#8221; shape_divider_position=&#8221;bottom&#8221; bg_image_animation=&#8221;none&#8221;][vc_column column_padding=&#8221;no-extra-padding&#8221; column_padding_tablet=&#8221;inherit&#8221; column_padding_phone=&#8221;inherit&#8221; column_padding_position=&#8221;all&#8221; flex_gap_desktop=&#8221;10px&#8221;&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17309,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[38,42],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-17308","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-april-dialog","8":"category-perspectives"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/april.hellopomelo.space\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/april.hellopomelo.space\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/april.hellopomelo.space\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/april.hellopomelo.space\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/april.hellopomelo.space\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17308"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/april.hellopomelo.space\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17308\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17313,"href":"https:\/\/april.hellopomelo.space\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17308\/revisions\/17313"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/april.hellopomelo.space\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/april.hellopomelo.space\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/april.hellopomelo.space\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/april.hellopomelo.space\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}