Image description: Okavango delta, River, Landscape. Image by Christo Ras from Pixabay

Nature-Based Infrastructure fund

Yorkshire Pension Fund (WYPF) has committed £25 million to the Cornerstone Portfolio of Rebalance Earth’s forthcoming nature-based Infrastructure Fund.

The investment marks one of the most significant allocations to nature in the British Isles, treating nature as infrastructure by monetarily valuing peatlands, rivers, wetlands, and oyster reefs for their essential services: natural flood protection, water purification, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity uplift. These services are monetised through long-term payments for ecosystem services (PES).

This allows companies and public bodies across sectors to pay for the benefits ecosystems deliver. For example, a supermarket may fund upstream flood mitigation to protect its logistics hubs. At the same time, a water company may invest in wetland restoration to reduce treatment costs and improve water quality.

Return on investment

Nature loss is continuing to accelerate, and one in six UK properties is now at risk of flooding, making investing in nature an imperative.

WYPF’s commitment enables Rebalance Earth to complete its Cornerstone Portfolio and move toward fund launch later this year. Projects will restore natural infrastructure across the British Isles and coastal water, which in turn will strengthen resilience in catchments, coastlines, and communities.

The strategy aims to generate long-term, stable cash flows. The fund is targeting an internal rate of return (IRR) of 8–12% over a 15-year period.