Carbon

With over $1bn to the asset class confirmed between July and August and roughly $1bn spent in acquisitions, GPs are converting interest into commitments.

The British fund manager was recently confirmed as the manager for AXA IM’s $700m Australian timber property and plans to launch a further three funds this year.

The asset will be managed to pursue an impact-first approach and should be able to deliver competitive returns, says chief sustainability officer Brian Kernohan.

Choosing to participate in a project that will increase productivity, fight climate change and deliver a return to investors is ‘a no-brainer’, says FarmTogether CEO Artem Milinchuk.

Goldman Sachs MD John Goldstein says pension funds, asset managers and sovereign wealth funds have expressed interest in The Restore Fund, a vehicle exploring the carbon sequestration potential of forest restoration.

The C$204.5bn pension’s facility is secured by Flagship Pioneering-backed Indigo’s intellectual property and could be a first of its kind.

Several of the most talked-about topics feature in the five most popular stories from the first quarter of 2021.

Eric Cooperström joins from NatureVest and will seek to develop agri and timber investment opportunities that ‘remove carbon from the atmosphere.’

Return rates delivered by the 2008-vintage vehicle were undisclosed but managing director Joe Sanderson says figures in the 15% to 20% range are ‘not uncommon’ in the sector.

Managing director Olly Hughes tells Agri Investor about the decades-long tailwinds the firm sees in the timberland space and the expansion strategy it is on the cusp of executing.