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Hi 👋

Quick question: Can finance be a solution to biodiversity loss?

At first glance, it sounds entirely counterintuitive. We have grown conditioned to view finance as the engine of extraction and not the mechanism of restoration. 

And that is a fair point of view, right now, we are facing a silent collapse.

Ecologists and economists are predicting a staggering 15% to 25% drop in global GDP due to nature and biodiversity loss (Rob Gardner, Rebalance Earth). The biological systems that underpin our societies are quietly unravelling.

Our living landscapes are undervalued, both spiritually and monetarily. When someone dedicates themselves to healing a local riverbank or nurturing the soil, that vibrant renewal is only recently being viewed (or credited) as actual wealth. 

But the breakthrough happens at scale when we collectively stop treating nature as a charity case, a “nice to have”, and start recognizing it for what it is: critical infrastructure for a functioning society. Water cycles, ecosystem health, and populations of diverse species are the literal foundations of our economy.

This brings me to a new pilgrimage-like endeavour being undertaken by Tom Ludwig and Sam Chevallier, the guys at Corridors of Finance. They are the founders of a new production company on a quest to answer exactly this question: how can finance be a solution to biodiversity loss?

It all began in a Bristol pub, circling the uncomfortable truth that to halt biodiversity loss at scale, capital must flow with purpose toward the recovery of nature. Like all good quests, it took on a life of its own, where the traveller grows internally amongst the challenges that happen externally.  

For Sam, this journey is already deeply personal. Leaving what he knew in South Africa, he traveled to the UK to meet his new nephews, eventually finding himself leading the production of a pilot at the Evenlode Landscape Recovery project in Oxfordshire—a full-circle moment, returning to the very place where his late mother was born and raised. 

For Tom, stepping into the storytelling space has been a rewarding, albeit steep, learning curve. He is translating his professional experience of nature and carbon markets into new skills, creating narratives to unpack the technical and financial mechanisms that make large-scale restoration possible.

Both of these guys are the absolute salt of the earth. Good folk, on a mission to play their part. One that lifts up the work of the people they meet, creates a genuine thirst for a new method of finance, and aims to preserve the natural world.

They’ve released their very first short film, "Nature as Critical Infrastructure." It marks the beginnings of a larger journey documenting the leading voices, landowners, and pioneers navigating the messy, complex reality of building nature markets. It is a solid piece of work in its own right, honest and entirely realistic about the task ahead, all without sacrificing hope.

It also features many of the leading pioneers in the UK scene, from companies like Rebalance Earth, Restore, Credit Nature, Kana Earth, Great Yellow, GFI, Environment Bank, and others.

Click here to watch the film

Warmly,

Rob

PS I’ve been on calls with Tom and Sam recently, bouncing ideas around for their social media efforts. What they’re cooking next is incredibly exciting. It is well worth giving them a follow on LinkedIn and stay updated (links above).

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