London, England | 17 June 2025 — The Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO) joined a dynamic and insightful Impact for Breakfast session in London, where impact investors, conservation finance experts, and practitioners convened to discuss the growing momentum behind Nature-Based Solutions (NbS). The session, titled “Exploring Nature-Based Investing: Beyond the IRR”, was hosted by Capital Generation Partners and co-organized with Artha Networks at Berkeley Square House. AFoCO joined the gathering to exchange knowledge and stay abreast of emerging approaches to blended finance, project development, and climate-related investment strategies relevant to its regional work in Asia. The event served as a platform to learn from global peers on innovative financing models and cross-sector partnerships that aim to enhance both environmental and social outcomes.
AFoCO’s participation contributed to a deeper appreciation of how public institutions and intergovernmental organizations can support the development of investable project pipelines grounded in years of work with forest-dependent communities. The conversation reinforced a growing global message: interest in NbS is real, rapidly expanding, and closely tied to the bundled environmental and social co-benefits that investors increasingly prioritize.
Investing in forestry projects through AFoCO appeals to family offices and impact investors due to the growing interest in NbS. Despite perceptions of higher risk of NbS projects, AFoCO offers derisking advantages through strong government partnerships, a transparent track record in grant-funded projects, and an agile implementation model enabled by its intergovernmental structure. Its proactive work in carbon projects further strengthens its position as a credible partner.
Against the backdrop of increasing global emphasis on NbS, AFoCO’s Executive Director Park and Team Lead Soozin Ryang highlighted the organization’s growing pipeline of regionally investable forestry projects. They engaged in discussions on how blended finance structures and robust monitoring frameworks can de-risk investments and attract private capital alongside traditional development assistance.
“There is no clear path to deliver climate mitigation without investing in nature,” the event framed, echoing prominent voices in climate finance.
The session focused on bridging known gaps in project lifecycle—from design and development through to monitoring, reporting, and ensuring long-term sustainability. It also tackled social dimensions, exploring how livelihoods, community engagement, and ecological integrity intersect in NbS initiatives.
AFoCO emphasized its leadership in forging public–private partnerships, including syndication and co‑investment mechanisms, to cultivate scalable, investable forestry projects across Asia. These efforts align with global investor demand—especially from family offices and development finance institutions—for vetted opportunities grounded in a strong commitment to sustainable impact.
The London IFB session emphasized the need for high-quality, high-integrity, and community-embedded forest projects that are not only impactful but also financially viable. Participants explored a range of investment models spanning the capital stack and reiterated the critical role of long-term sustainability, governance, and measurable impact. Attendees gained insights into AFoCO’s model of community‑centric climate finance and its multidisciplinary approach to deal structuring, risk mitigation, and blended finance deployment. The event concluded with an emphasis on fostering ongoing collaboration to mobilize capital and deliver both ecological and financial returns.
AFoCO’s engagement in this forum reflects its ongoing efforts to align public sector forest cooperation with emerging private finance mechanisms that support sustainable forest management and climate resilience across Asia.
About Impact for Breakfast
The Impact for Breakfast network is an informal network of family offices, foundations, funds, venture philanthropy and intermediary organizations with a common focus on social enterprise, entrepreneurship and impact investing. This specialized group has been gathering and growing since 2008, starting in London and with expansion today to multiple cities. Our geographical interests span from small and growing businesses in Europe to transformation business models operating in the furthest emerging markets. We seek to learn from one another, to collaborate more effectively and to create the offline space to complement our online communities.
For the article on AFoCO x IFB London, see this LinkedIn Post.
To read more about Artha Networks, watch this Interview Clip.
