Climate

The firm has more than $5.2bn in assets under management across more than 2m timberland acres.

Led by Imperative, the South African blended finance initiative is part funded by a World Bank bond and has secured a carbon offtake agreement with Amazon.

The Aviva subsidiary has partnered with Climate Impact Partners and will seek to sequester six million tonnes of carbon across the asset’s lifetime.

Double-digit timberland returns remain the exception rather than the rule, but rising investor demand and new value drivers are beginning to shift expectations.

He will depart on July 1 for a career break after nearly 20 years at the €590bn Dutch pension fund giant.

Natural capital and agricultural assets could make up a maximum allocation of 20% within Australian Ethical’s ‘infrastructure-plus’ fund.

Once a core diversifier, timberland is now delivering double-digit returns and new sources of value, says team lead Aleksi Ehtee.

The combined entity will have approximately $8bn in timberland assets under management and more than two million acres of forestry.

Record fundraising and creative deal structures saw specialist timberland managers dominate Agri Investor’s Global Awards, underlining institutional LP demand.

Stafford Capital Partners' Marek Guizot says forestry has become the natural entry point for investors because of its long track record and multilayered environmental benefits.