Fishbowl Discussion

From project origination to financing Nature-based Solutions

Thursday, October 2, 2025 From 10:30 to 12:00 (CET) Centre International de Conférences Genève - Room 9 (Level 2)
Fintech Innovative Finance Nature

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are essential to achieving international climate goals while delivering benefits for ecosystems and communities. However, mobilizing finance for NbS remains a significant challenge due to gaps in early-stage project development, investment-readiness, and financing mechanisms.

This session will take participants on a journey from project origination to innovative financing. It will focus on the practical steps required to develop and fund NbS projects—starting with pre-feasibility assessments and moving toward blended and catalytic finance. Real-world case studies from diverse geographies will illustrate challenges and breakthroughs.

Designed as a fishbowl discussion, the session encourages active participation from the audience, who will have the opportunity to rotate into the panel and share insights, questions, and experiences. The conversation will be moderated by Juraj Jurik, Director of Infrastructure and Nature at Global Infrastructure Basel (GIB) Foundation and will bring together perspectives from project developers, investors, the private sector, and philanthropy.

Objectives:
– Illustrate the full NbS investment journey from early concept to finance.
– Identify enabling conditions and partnerships needed to make NbS investable.
– Showcase innovative finance instruments and blended finance approaches.
– Foster peer learning through interactive discussion.
– Generate actionable insights and next-step collaboration opportunities.


Framing this topic

This short section provides context for the event to ensure all participants, regardless of prior knowledge, are equipped to engage with the discussion.

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are actions to protect, restore, and sustainably manage ecosystems to address societal challenges like climate adaptation, food security, and disaster risk, while benefiting biodiversity and human well-being (IUCN). Examples include mangrove restoration for coastal protection, agroforestry for climate-resilient agriculture, and wetland conservation for water management. Despite their potential, NbS remain underfunded due to fragmented project pipelines, lack of standardized metrics, high perceived risk, and limited access to early-stage and blended finance. This session explores how to bridge these gaps from project origination to innovative finance. Learn more about GIB.