Insights
Finance Gap for UK Nature Report
Finance Gap for UK Nature Report
Oct 12, 2021
The Green Finance Institute commissioned environmental economics consultancy, eftec, to identify the finance gap across the UK to achieve nature-positive outcomes in order to assess the need for private investment.
Please find below the press release, full report and appendix 2 along with an interactive map that highlights the gaps for England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Overseas Territories by specific nature-related outcomes.
Dr Rhian-Mari Thomas OBE
CEO, The Green Finance Institute
Map Of Finance Gap By Region, Outcome And Output
Finance gap for UK by outcomes (central estimates)
Clean Water
£8 billion
(£5 billion – £15 billion)
Protect and/or restore biodiversity
£19 billion
(£13 billion – £32 billion)
Reduce flood risk through natural flood management
£354 million
(£171 million – £747 million)
Improve bio-resource efficiency
£4 billion
(£4 billion – £5 billion)
Climate mitigation through bio-carbon
£20 billion
(£20 billion – £21 billion)
Enhance biosecurity
£109 million
(£0 – £4 billion)
Improve access and engagement with the natural environment
£7 billion
(£6 billion – £30 billion)
Spending with multiple outcomes (overlaps)
£4 billion
(£4 billion – £10 billion, or 6-10% of overall gap)
Other content
17.12.25
Creating a financial system that rewards nature restoration and impact reduction
All organisations and institutions working towards this target of large-scale traditional investment into nature restoration would benefit by collectively considering how we can address...
28.11.25
Unlocking Finance for Sustainable Supply Chains
The latest R4N Guidebook Nature-based Revenue Models in Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Supply Chains, explores collective corporate action models and demonstrates how Nature-based Solutions...
25.11.25
GFI Hive, Finance Earth & The Crown Estate launch Marine & Coastal Investment Readiness Toolkit Consultation
The Green Finance Institute, in partnership with Finance Earth and The Crown Estate, has today published initial guidance for a new Marine and Coastal...
17.09.25
Catalytic Philanthropy: How a holistic approach could unlock trillions in investment
As individuals, charitable trusts, foundations and endowments review their budgets ahead of 2026, the question, therefore, is: how can we ensure that philanthropic funding...
17.09.25
From principles to practice: embedding Indigenous leadership in nature finance
While global commitments and the development of shared principles and guidance are critical steps, the task now is translating these into practical and innovative...
17.09.25
From risk to resilience: financing nature at scale
As the climate crisis intensifies and ecosystems edge toward tipping points, the private sector is beginning to reckon with a fundamental truth: environmental risk...
