NBI – Natural Business Intelligence and the Municipality of Loulé have developed the Guide to Investment in Natural Capital – From Opportunity to Action, one of the first instruments of its kind in Portugal, which has just been launched, and was announced in a press release.
According to the same source, the new Guide positions Loulé at the forefront of the Nature Economy by creating a concrete tool to bring closer investors, companies, landowners, financial institutions and public entities to projects capable of reconciling the valorization of ecosystems, economic development and territorial resilience.
More than characterizing the municipality’s natural heritage, the document translates scientific knowledge, territorial information and financial instruments into concrete investment opportunities, allowing a passage from identifying the value of Nature to mobilizing capital for its conservation, regeneration and sustainable use.
Developed by NBI, a Portuguese consultancy specializing in Natural Capital Economy, with the Municipality of Loulé, the Guide identifies seven priority areas of the municipality, designated Nature Investment Hubs, among which Rocha da Pena, Fonte Benémola and Nave do Barão.
In each of these Hubs, opportunities are presented associated with ecological restoration, the valorization of ecosystem services, the bioeconomy, regenerative agriculture, sustainable forest management, Nature Tourism and the emerging markets for carbon credits and biodiversity credits.
An instrument to transform opportunity into action
With about 64% of the territory included in the National System of Classified Areas and approximately 30,000 hectares of high Natural Value, Loulé possesses distinctive conditions to attract investment linked to Nature.
The Guide was designed to support economic agents throughout the decision-making process, presenting the natural and economic characteristics of the territory, investment opportunities, financing mechanisms, regulatory frameworks and emerging models for the valuation of Natural Capital.
The publication also provides an integrated view of the national and European financial instruments currently available, as well as new market solutions that are beginning to gain international traction.
In this way, the Guide helps reduce the distance between scientific knowledge, territorial planning and economic-financial decision-making, creating conditions to structure projects with measurable environmental, social and economic impact.
Nuno Gaspar de Oliveira, Cofounder and CEO of NBI, states: “This Guide demonstrates that Natural Capital can and should be integrated into the economic strategy of territories. The challenge is not only to recognize the value of Nature, but to create instruments that allow turning that value into concrete, fundable projects capable of generating benefits for ecosystems, for communities and for the economy. Loulé had the vision to move forward with an approach still little explored in Portugal, becoming a pioneering municipality in creating conditions to attract responsible investment for Nature. NBI’s work consisted of turning scientific and territorial knowledge into a practical tool, oriented toward investors and action.”
“Loulé has been establishing itself as a reference territory in the valorization of natural capital. This Guide represents another step in that journey, creating conditions to attract sustainable investment and demonstrating that nature conservation can be a driver of innovation, competitiveness and development for the municipality,” says Telmo Pinto, President of the Municipal Chamber of Loulé.
Loulé as a pioneering territory
The creation of this Guide continues the work that NBI and the Municipality of Loulé have been carrying out in evaluating, valorizing and integrating the Municipality’s Natural Capital into the municipal strategy.
This work allowed deepening knowledge about the municipality’s ecosystems, the services they provide to society and the economy and their potential to support new activities and business models compatible with Nature conservation.
By launching one of the country’s first Guides to Investment in Natural Capital, Loulé reinforces its position as a territory of environmental innovation and establishes a new benchmark for other municipalities seeking to integrate Nature into their strategies of competitiveness, climate adaptation and economic development.
For NBI, the project consolidates its role as a specialist in creating solutions that enable territories and organizations to transform ecological risks, natural assets and environmental challenges into strategic opportunities and investments.
You can access the full version of the Guide here.
