Case Studies Provide Playbook for Projects That Work
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESS Newswire / September 23, 2026 / The Paulson Institute, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) today released Financing Nature Report 2026: A Mid-Decade Update: From Isolated Progress to Implementation at Scale, which underscores the importance of protecting biodiversity and assesses the current magnitude of the financing nature gap. Since publishing the first Financing Nature report in 2020, the financing gap has nearly doubled from $711 billion to $1.317 trillion a year. Drawing on practical knowledge from successful case studies by more than a dozen partner organizations, Financing Nature 2026 offers proven examples of how to close the financing gap and halt biodiversity loss by scaling nature-finance solutions. The report lays out more than just data points; it lays out action.
"I've always believed that a healthy planet is good for business, and it's far cheaper to prevent environmental damage than to clean it up afterward," said Henry M. Paulson, Jr., Chairman of the Paulson Institute. "Governments today spend more in a single month on subsidies that harm nature than they spend protecting it in an entire year. No other single action would unlock more capital for nature than reforming those subsidies, and none is more overdue. Where governments have gotten the incentives right, capital has begun to follow."
Financing Nature 2026 arrives just a few weeks before COP17, the UN Biodiversity Conference, which the authors describe as a test of the world's resolve to translate five years of pilots and proof points into widespread adoption. The research shows it's not a lack of tools or evidence, but a lack of political will and harmful policies that leave nature and economies at risk.
"The conservation community has helped pioneer models that move real capital into conservation. These case studies are proof that we can protect nature and grow economies if we have the right people and programs in place," said Jennifer Morris, Chief Executive Officer of The Nature Conservancy. "That means governments, businesses, investors and our partners on the ground align their climate, nature, and development plans before committing money, not after. We are not starting from zero. We are starting from a decade of evidence about what works, and this report is a call to build on it."
The Financing Nature report presents a blueprint for scaling successful pilots into widespread implementation by aligning public incentives, policies, and private investment. The case studies show firsthand how both private and public institutions have moved the needle to protect nature.
"We no longer lack mechanisms for financing nature. We just need to deploy them at scale. And fast. Project Finance for Permanence deals, maturing carbon markets, impact investing, and other approaches offer promising ways forward," said Carter Roberts, President & CEO of World Wildlife Fund. "This report proves these strategies work. But it also makes clear we need to deploy them at the pace and scale nature loss demands."
Financing Nature 2026 was compiled with the help of contributing partners, including Bank of America, Conservation International with BTG Pactual, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, Rare, Enosis Capital, International Crane Foundation and Endangered Wildlife Trust, Jocotoco, One Hundred Miles, Rare Systemiq, Temasek and The Nature Conservancy, whose case studies provided examples of projects that are working. Drawing on the solutions from those case studies, the report names five key recommendations for scaling proven nature-finance solutions and turning successful models into global practice:
- Stop paying to destroy nature.
Governments should recognize that some of their own policies and spending, including subsidies, tax breaks, loan guarantees, procurement, and infrastructure investment, actively drive nature loss, and should cut or redirect that money. For every dollar spent protecting nature, thirty go to destroying it. Reforming harmful subsidies is one of the biggest levers to close the gap. This should be done while continuing to strengthen environmental accountability for private investment and enforcement of environmental laws. - Treat nature as critical infrastructure, not a free input.
Governments should treat nature as productive capital, an asset the whole economy runs on, and line up economic policy, public investment, and risk management behind protecting it. - Fight climate change and nature loss as one battle, not two.
Governments, businesses, and investors should get their climate, nature, development, and investment plans in line with one another before the money is committed, not after. - Make nature-positive investment the easy investment.
Governments and regulators should create the policy and market conditions that let nature finance grow at scale, and Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) and Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) should use their balance sheets and tools to mobilize investment. - Scale what already works.
Businesses and financial institutions should build nature into their strategy, everyday operations, lending, and investment, and scale up the approaches that have already worked.
"None of these priorities waits for perfect conditions," Hank Paulson adds. "Each can begin now with the institutions and tools we already have, and each gets easier as the others advance. What is required now is not new knowledge but the political will and the sustained leadership to act on what we already know."
Read the full report here.
About Paulson Institute
The Paulson Institute is an independent, non-partisan organization advancing sustainable economic growth, climate and nature finance, and global economic stability. Founded by former US Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr., in 2011, the Institute applies economic and financial expertise to help address today's most pressing environmental and geopolitical challenges. The Institute helps mobilize capital for natural infrastructure and biodiversity conservation, strengthen global green and nature finance standards, and work to advance economic prosperity. With a diverse, globally experienced team, the Institute convenes leaders, advises institutions, and helps provide practical solutions that support a more resilient, sustainable, and nature-positive future.
About The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a global environmental nonprofit working to create a world where people and nature can thrive. Founded in the U.S. through grassroots action in 1951, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has grown to become one of the most effective and wide-reaching environmental organizations in the world. Thanks to more than a million members and the dedicated efforts of our diverse staff and over 1,000 scientists, we impact conservation in 83 countries and territories: 39 by direct conservation impact and 44 through partners.
About World Wildlife Fund
Founded in 1961, WWF works to help people and nature thrive. As a global conservation organization, WWF operates in more than 100 countries, partnering with communities, companies, and governments to protect wildlife, conserve vital habitats, and advance sustainable solutions. Grounded in science and driven by collaboration, WWF works to help nature by conserving biodiversity, supporting resilient communities, and addressing climate change. Nearly 1 million people in the United States and more than 5 million globally are WWF members.
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View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/new-financing-nature-2026-report-offers-playbook-for-financing-n-1225847
