Nature Finance UK Review 2025 published
The Nature Finance UK Review 2025 has now been published, offering a timely and comprehensive picture of how nature finance projects are developing across the UK. Produced by the Ecosystems Knowledge Network in association with Kana Earth, the Review provides vital insight into the maturity of projects, their route to market, and the support needed to unlock private investment at scale.
07 January 2026
A new snapshot of progress, readiness, and opportunity across UK nature markets
Drawing on evidence from hundreds of place-based initiatives, the Review reflects the work of land and coastal managers who are actively developing investable opportunities within emerging nature markets. It explores how close projects are to being market-ready and tradable, and how developers are looking to reach buyers, and access market support.
Key insights from the review:
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A diverse but maturing pipeline: The UK nature finance pipeline spans carbon, biodiversity, flood risk reduction and other ecosystem services, with woodland and peatland carbon projects still dominant in terms of scale and value.
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Strong regional concentration: England and Scotland host most projects, while Northern Ireland remains under-represented and smaller landholdings pose challenges in Wales and Northern Ireland.
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Growing ambition, limited readiness: While many projects aim to stack multiple environmental outcomes, relatively few are yet successfully trading, reflecting both market immaturity and complex buyer requirements.
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Barriers to scale and replication: Challenges remain around scalability, discoverability, governance and geographical reach – highlighting the need for clearer market signals, stronger demand, and improved support for project developers.
Together, these insights help clarify where momentum is building across the UK, and where targeted action is still required to move from pilot initiatives to scalable markets.
Perspectives in the sector:
“Scaling nature finance depends on turning high-quality ideas into investable opportunities. This Review helps clarify where progress is being made, and where coordinated action is still needed to unlock capital at pace.”
John Goffin, Chief Commercial Officer, Kana Earth
A collaborative effort:
The publication of the Nature Finance UK Review 2025 reflects a strong collaborative effort across the sector. With thanks to:
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Ecosystems Knowledge Network for coordinating the review
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Esmée Fairbairn Foundation for supporting this work
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Will McDonald for his expert input into the report
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John Goffin and Tom Ritchie, Kana Earth
Their combined contributions have helped create a robust evidence base to inform next steps for nature finance in the UK.
Explore the review
The Nature Finance UK Review 2025 is an essential resource for anyone involved in developing, supporting, or investing in nature markets.
