By Gerelyn Terzo, Global AgInvesting Media
Ardian, a Paris, France-based private equity firm, is expanding its influence in natural capital. The firm has secured commitments for its Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) strategy, buoying the investment tally to an expected €100 million by year-end. The strategy, dubbed Averrhoa Nature-Based Solutions, focuses on large-scale projects in reforestation, wetlands and mangrove restoration designed to help protect biodiversity. The platform is also built around the generation of carbon credits that corporates can use as part of their decarbonization plans, with a goal of sequestering 85 million tons of carbon over the coming decades.
Anchor investors include several development finance institutions (DFIs). The European Investment Bank has committed €50 million, French DFI Proparco has pledged €20 million and British International Investment intends to invest €10 million, highlighting rising DFI demand for nature-based climate solutions as an investable asset class.
Ardian’s Averrhoa NBS strategy, classified as an SFDR Article 9 impact fund, is managed by the firm’s infrastructure team alongside aDryada, the latter of which specializes in the development and long-term management of large-scale ecosystem restoration projects. The fund targets high-integrity projects focused on reforestation and the rehabilitation of wetlands and mangrove ecosystems, natural carbon sinks that protect biodiversity and remove heaps of CO₂ from the atmosphere.
With an ambitious target of sequestering 85 million tons of carbon over a long-term horizon, Averrhoa NBS has secured cornerstone commitments, including €5 million from FDJ UNITED and an investment from Mutuelle d’Ivry (La Fraternelle), paving the way for the anticipated €100 million first-close. This foundation is designed to attract a broader pool of institutional and corporate backers looking to generate environmental and social benefits alongside financial returns. Beyond carbon removal, the strategy delivers other benefits such as stronger water-resource resilience, improved soil health and air quality, the restoration of habitats for endangered species and more.
Ardian Deputy Head of Infrastructure Laurent Fayollas stated, “This first €100m round of commitments marks a milestone in Ardian’s journey to becoming a -leading player in nature restoration projects. On top of targeting the sequestration of 85 million tons of carbon, the fund aims to play a significant role in restoring ecosystems, protecting biodiversity, while benefiting local communities. We are very grateful to our anchor investors for their confidence in Ardian’s world-class Infrastructure and NBS investment expertise.”
EIB Vice President Ambroise Fayolle said, “This fund represents an important step forward in scaling nature-based solutions across emerging markets. We are helping to address climate change, protect biodiversity and improve the livelihoods of local communities. This investment reflects our commitment to mobilizing public and private capital for environmental protection and sustainable development.”
Proparco Deputy CEO Jean-Baptiste Sabatié commented, “As part of Proparco’s Natural Capital strategy, we are proud to partner with Ardian, aDryada, and the EU CarbonSinks Programme to support long-term investments in high-quality afforestation, reforestation, and revegetation projects. These initiatives will remove carbon from the atmosphere while also delivering strong climate, biodiversity, and socio-economic benefits for local communities.”
The World Bank pointed out that over 50 percent of global GDP is tied to healthy ecosystems, but ongoing biodiversity loss is increasingly destabilizing economies around the world. Forests are being lost at a pace of 5 million hectares annually, and warming temperatures are complicating efforts to limit global heating to the 1.5°C target, leading to species extinctions at rates that put food security, climate adaptation, water availability and health at greater risk. Against this backdrop, Ardian has entered the field of nature-based carbon removal through projects aimed at capturing CO₂ while supporting biodiversity recovery and providing benefits to local communities.
Launched in 2023 through a strategic partnership between Ardian and aDryada, Averrhoa Nature-Based Solutions marked a foray into large-scale ecosystem restoration, positioning itself as a pioneering Article 9 impact fund dedicated to combating climate change through natural carbon sinks. From the outset, the strategy set its sights on deploying approximately €1.5 billion into high-integrity reforestation, wetland, and mangrove projects, primarily in emerging markets, with expectations to sequester around 150 million tons of CO₂, generate verified high-quality carbon credits and deliver related for biodiversity preservation and economic development in local communities.
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