June 2018

COMMUNITY
The
Business of
Planting
Trees
Submitted by The Nature Conservancy.
Approximately 41 million trees
are cut down every day—far
faster than we are currently
replanting them. The consequences of
deforestation and other types of land
degradation are severe, exacerbating
climate change, biodiversity loss, and
declines in ecosystem services that
hundreds of millions of people
depend on.
and sequestration will emerge as
more governments charge a fee for
emissions driving climate change. New
research by The Nature Conservancy,
World Resources Institute, and other
partners shows that restoration and
other land management improvements
could provide more than a third of the
emissions reductions necessary to keep
global warming under 2°C.
The restoration economy is at the
take-off stage. New business models
are emerging, technology is advancing
and governments are showing political
will. This is great news for investors
looking for the next growth opportunity.
And this is good news for the planet,
since restoring land can provide clean
water, improve livelihoods, and enhance
biodiversity—all while pulling back to the
In response, governments around the
world have committed to restore 160
million hectares—an area larger than
South Africa. But it will take more than
government action to execute on these
commitments; the private sector has an
important role to play, too.
In fact, these commitments are spurring
increased demand for companies
that can deliver large projects costeffectively—restoring
degraded land
has the potential to become a big
business opportunity, on top of providing
much needed climate mitigation and
other ecosystem benefits. Established
companies and entrepreneurs alike are
finding new ways to make money from
sustainably managed forests and farms.
Some are responding to governmental
incentives; others are responding
directly to the market, restoring land to
generate new products and services,
or to differentiate their offerings from
the competition. Some entrepreneurs
are betting that huge new business
opportunities for natural carbon capture
Yet hurdles remain, and one of the
biggest is funding. Many investors
still know little about restoration
opportunities. This report is intended to
bridge that information gap; it includes
case studies of 14 innovative enterprises
across eight countries. They cover a
fascinating range of activities, from
drones that shoot seeds into hardened
soils to genetic research on tree species
threatened with extinction.
earth excess atmospheric carbon that
would otherwise be heating the planet.
Opportunities have never been
greater — and the task has never been
more urgent. As an ancient Chinese
proverb says, “The best time to plant a
tree was 20 years ago. The next best
time is now.” P
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JUNE 2018