Canada’s natural assets are globally significant in addressing the twin challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change. Healthy natural environments provide a range of social, environmental, and economic benefits to communities. Both the public and private sector are making significant commitments to nature, and yet despite the range of potential benefits, we have not seen investment at the scale that is needed.

This Smart Prosperity Institute report, supported by Metcalf, McCall MacBain Foundation, and the Government of Canada, examines the role conservation finance could have in Canada. Conservation finance refers to investment strategies and financial arrangements that generate both ecological and financial returns.

The report aims to promote a broader understanding of the conservation finance landscape, showcase promising examples as well as key learning from existing projects, highlight hurdles in the Canadian context, and opportunities to overcome challenges to increased investments in nature.