Big Bet: Use Nature Equity, a new asset class, that brings nature onto the balance sheet
Project: Scale regenerative land use through the use of a novel financial accounting paradigm where nature conversation and regenerative agriculture is no longer perceived as a “cost” in the P&L but rather an “asset” in the balance sheet. This new infrastructure, which could be established between any land steward (farmer or community) and any corporate buyer (offtaker), links a unit of biophysical nature asset (carbon, water and biodiversity) to a payment. They use 3M’s to define their working model: Monitor, Manage and Mitigate Natural Capital to reduce procurement risk, meet reporting requirements and make investments into climate resilience an asset. Land stewards receive outcome-based rewards for their natural capital outcomes, and investors receive solid proof of nature stewardship. These contracts are recognized as balance sheet intangible assets under IFRS, creating an incentive for companies to scale regenerative agriculture and nature preservation at low cost and adding corporate value.
Felipe Villela is a Regenerative Agriculture Entrepreneur & Head of LATAM at The Landbanking Group. Advisory Board Member at Unilever Brazilian brand Mãe Terra & Climate Bonds Initiative, United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) Advisor, Forbes Under30, TEDxSpeaker, MIT Solver, LinkedIn & Instagram Influencer and Founder of reNature. Felipe has 12+ years experience in Regenerative Agriculture, Climate Change, Food Systems & Nature Finance. He has been Strategic Advisor of the UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) Action Track 3: Boost Nature-Positive Production and Lead Author at UNEP for their Global Environmental Outlook (GEO) for Business on Brief 3: The Role of Business in Transforming our Food Systems.