Cost and Benefit Datasets and Analytics for Nature-Based Solutions

The lack of sufficient data on the profitability of investments creates a barrier to scaling up investments in ecosystem restoration and nature-based solutions (NBS). However, such investments make an important contribution to reaching the targets of the Paris Agreement. During the UN Biodiversity Conference COP15, the Ecosystem Restoration Finance Task Force’s (FTF) identified the necessity to develop data on restoration and NBS investment returns. To improve the decision making on investments, the World Bank commissioned Unique to support the Global Program on NBS for Climate Resilience to develop data and tools to quantify the costs and benefits of NBS and ecosystem restoration. The overarching goal of the assignment was to identify investment opportunities in ecosystem restoration and NBS for public and private actors.