What Conservation Capital does

Conservation Capital is a specialist nature finance advisory firm that designs and executes financial mechanisms to channel private and public capital into conservation projects. Founded operationally around 2004 and formally registered in England and Wales in 2010, the firm is headquartered in London with a secondary office in Nairobi and operates across more than 50 countries on five continents. Its client base spans four segments: conservation organisations seeking investment-ready structures, impact investors pursuing nature-positive opportunities, government and development banks mobilising private capital, and corporates with nature-positive or biodiversity commitments. The firm reports more than 250 engagements and over USD 500 million in investment mobilised through its advisory work.

The firm's core product is the Nature Finance Activation (NFA) Process — a proprietary four-phase methodology covering Foundational Assessment, Mechanism Prioritisation, Mechanism Design & Market Testing, and Market Execution & Capital Mobilisation. This is supported by the Resilience+ (R+) framework, used in the Foundational Assessment phase for counterparty capacity analysis, and a structured three-filter methodology for selecting appropriate financing mechanisms. The firm designs instruments across five categories — regulation-based, grant-based, trade-based, debt-based, and equity-based — including conservation bonds (e.g., the Wildlife Conservation Bond / Rhino Bond with the World Bank in South Africa), biodiversity credits, eco-compensation mechanisms, blended finance structures, and nature equity / land value capture vehicles.

Conservation Capital operates a relationship-driven, sales-led go-to-market, engaging clients through direct advisory and an extensive proprietary deal pipeline built over two decades. Revenue is generated through professional advisory fees on bespoke, end-to-end mandates from concept to close, including due diligence, transaction management, and post-close monitoring. The firm is privately held by its founders and partners (notably Founder & Partner Giles Davies and Partner Amy Herford), with no disclosed external funding rounds, no parent company, and no public listing. It maintains a deep institutional partnership network spanning multilateral development banks (World Bank, EIB, Asian Development Bank, AFD), bilateral donors (DEFRA, DFAT, GIZ), and global conservation NGOs (WWF, TNC, CI, WCS, IUCN).

Name

Conservation Capital

Legal name

Conservation Capital

Website

https://conservation-capital.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Conservation Capital is a London-based specialist nature finance advisory firm that designs and executes financial mechanisms to channel capital into conservation projects for conservation organisations, impact investors, governments, and corporates across more than 50 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Advisory Fees: Professional advisory fees for nature finance transaction services. The firm advises conservation organisations and investors on attracting and deploying capital for nature, providing end-to-end transaction management from concept to close.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Conservation Capital is a specialist nature finance advisory firm that advises conservation organisations, impact investors, governments, development banks, and corporates on how to attract and deploy capital for nature. Its core offering is the Nature Finance Activation (NFA) Process, a four-phase methodology (Foundational Assessment, Mechanism Prioritisation, Design & Market Testing, and Market Execution & Capital Mobilisation) supported by the proprietary Resilience+ counterparty capacity framework, delivered as bespoke advisory engagements covering financing mechanism design, financial modelling, transaction management, and post-close monitoring.

Product overview

Conservation Capital offers a single, integrated advisory service for nature finance, anchored by the Nature Finance Activation (NFA) Process — a four-phase methodology for turning conservation projects into bankable investment propositions. The NFA Process is supported by the proprietary Resilience+ (R+) Framework for counterparty capacity analysis. Their service portfolio encompasses investor engagement, financing mechanism design (spanning regulation-based, grant-based, trade-based, debt-based, and equity-based instruments), transaction management, and post-investment monitoring. The company operates globally from offices in London and Nairobi.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Nature Finance Advisory Services End-to-end advisory services that advise conservation organisations, impact investors, governments, development banks, and corporates on how to attract and deploy capital for nature, covering structured investor engagement, financial modelling, capital stack engineering, transaction management, and post-close monitoring.
• Nature Finance Activation (NFA) Process A four-phase end-to-end framework for identifying, designing, and executing nature finance mechanisms: (1) Foundational Assessment, (2) Nature Finance Mechanism Prioritisation, (3) Nature Finance Mechanism Design & Market Testing, and (4) Market Execution & Capital Mobilisation. It transforms conservation ambition into bankable investment opportunities.
• Resilience+ (R+) Framework A proprietary counterparty capacity analysis framework applied during the Foundational Assessment phase of the NFA Process to evaluate counterparty readiness for nature finance transactions, including financial needs assessment and macro-context evaluation.

Quantifiable outcome

• $500M+ investment mobilised
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

45 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• The World BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultilateral development bank working on nature finance initiatives. Conservation Capital has worked on projects including the Wildlife Conservation Bond (Rhino Bond) in South Africa with World Bank involvement.
• WWFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal conservation organisation and major player in nature finance. Partner in conservation projects and financing mechanisms.
• European Investment BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Union's lending arm for climate and environmental projects, including nature-based solutions and conservation financing.
• Conservation InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal non-profit focused on science-based conservation, working on nature finance mechanisms and biodiversity protection.
• The Nature ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal environmental organisation focused on conservation, working on innovative financing mechanisms for nature protection.
• Rewilding EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation organisation focused on rewilding in Europe. Conservation Capital has worked on Rewilding Europe Capital financing mechanisms.
• Wildlife Conservation SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal conservation organisation focused on wildlife and wild places, partner in conservation finance initiatives.
• African Wildlife FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation organisation focused on African wildlife and lands, partner in conservation financing projects.
• GIZcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman development agency implementing international cooperation projects, including nature finance and conservation initiatives.
• Space for GiantscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation organisation working on protecting elephants and their habitats, partner in landscape-level conservation financing.
• Northern Rangelands TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKenyan organisation supporting community conservancies, partner in developing community-based nature finance mechanisms.
• Big Life FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation organisation working on wildlife protection in Kenya, partner in nature finance projects.
• Save the ElephantscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch and conservation organisation focused on elephants, partner in conservation financing mechanisms.
• Jane Goodall InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal conservation organisation founded by Dr. Jane Goodall, partner in nature and primate conservation projects.
• Rainforest TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation organisation focused on protecting rainforests and endangered species through land purchase and conservation financing.
• Frankfurt Zoological SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman conservation organisation working on protected area management and nature conservation financing.
• Fauna & Flora InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal conservation organisation and the world's oldest international wildlife conservation charity.
• Eden ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental visitor attraction and educational charity, partner in nature education and conservation initiatives.
• BirdLife InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal partnership of conservation organisations focused on birds and biodiversity, partner in conservation finance.
• PantheracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganisation focused exclusively on wild cat conservation, partner in species-specific conservation financing.
• Sustainable Markets InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld Economic Forum initiative focused on sustainable markets, including nature-positive investments.
• Royal FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharitable foundation of the Prince of Wales, focused on environmental and conservation initiatives including nature finance.
• IUCNcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Union for Conservation of Nature, providing standards and guidance for conservation and nature finance.
• Conservation Finance AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of organisations advancing conservation finance, aligning with Conservation Capital's core mission.
• Lewa Wildlife ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKenyan wildlife conservancy and UNESCO World Heritage Site, partner in wildlife conservation financing.
• Tompkins ConservationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation organisation founded by Tom Skirting, focused on creating national parks and rewilding projects.
• Ol Pejeta ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKenyan wildlife conservancy, client featured in Conservation Capital's case studies.
• Borana ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKenyan wildlife conservancy, client featured in Conservation Capital's case studies.
• Loisaba ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKenyan wildlife conservancy, partner in nature conservation financing projects.
• Kenya Wildlife ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment agency managing wildlife conservation in Kenya, partner in conservation policy and financing.
• Mara ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservancy managing the Mara Triangle in Kenya, partner in wildlife conservation financing.
• ZSLcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZoological Society of London, major conservation organisation and partner in nature finance projects.
• Rwanda Development BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment agency in Rwanda overseeing tourism and conservation development, partner in mountain gorilla conservation financing.
• TerrataicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTropical forest landscape restoration initiative in Indonesia, partner in landscape-level conservation financing.
• BIOPAMAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiodiversity and Protected Areas Management programme, partnership for protected area financing.
• ILRIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Livestock Research Institute, partner in sustainable land use and conservation.
• Conservation AlphacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation finance advisory and investment firm focused on nature-based solutions.
• Solimar InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation and sustainable tourism development firm, partner in nature-based enterprise development.
• The Biodiversity ConsultancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsultancy specialising in biodiversity and ecosystem services, partner in nature finance mechanisms.
• MaliasilicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit supporting African conservation leaders and organisations, partner in capacity building.
• Mpala Wildlife FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch centre and conservancy in Kenya, partner in wildlife research and conservation.
• BiotopecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental consulting firm specialised in biodiversity and nature-based solutions.
• Rewilding BritaincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK-based rewilding organisation, partner in European rewilding initiatives.
• Trees for LifecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK-based charity focused on restoring the Caledonian Forest in Scotland.
• PlatcorpcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlatform supporting conservation and sustainable development projects.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pollination Group: Pollination is a specialist advisory and investment firm focused on the transition to a net-zero, nature-positive economy. It competes with Conservation Capital in nature and climate finance advisory, serving corporates, financiers, and policymakers at global scale.
• South Pole Group: South Pole is a global sustainability solutions provider that develops and finances nature-based and carbon projects. It overlaps with Conservation Capital in advisory and project structuring for conservation organisations and corporates seeking nature-positive outcomes.
• EKO Asset Management Partners: EKO Asset Management Partners is an impact investment firm specialising in natural capital, forestry, and land-based investments. It competes with Conservation Capital on the investor and structuring side of nature finance, particularly in real-asset natural capital transactions.
• The Biodiversity Consultancy: The Biodiversity Consultancy is a specialist consultancy advising on biodiversity and ecosystem services for corporate, financial, and conservation clients. It directly overlaps with Conservation Capital on biodiversity strategy and nature finance mechanism design.
• Okavango Capital: Okavango Capital is an impact investment firm focused on African conservation and sustainable development. It is a regional peer to Conservation Capital's Kenya/East Africa work and operates on the investor side of nature finance transactions.
• Mirova Natural Capital: Mirova Natural Capital is the dedicated natural capital arm of Mirova, investing in nature-based solutions and sustainable land use. It competes with Conservation Capital on the same investor side of the nature finance value chain, but with materially larger AUM.
• Conservation Alpha: Conservation Alpha is a conservation finance advisory and investment firm that structures nature-based investment opportunities. It overlaps directly with Conservation Capital's NFA Process, working with NGOs, corporates, and DFIs to design bankable conservation deals.

Broad incumbents

• Climate Advisers: Climate Advisers is a specialist climate and sustainable finance advisory firm advising governments, multilaterals, and investors on climate finance strategy. It competes for some of the same DFI and government mandates as Conservation Capital but with a broader climate mandate.
• SystemIQ: SystemIQ is a system-change advisory firm working on climate, nature, and circular economy transitions with corporates, investors, and governments. It operates at the broader sustainable-finance level where Conservation Capital competes for the same nature-finance mandates.

Emerging players

• NatureVest (The Nature Conservancy): NatureVest is The Nature Conservancy's impact investment arm, creating and investing in deals that finance conservation outcomes. It is both a potential partner and competitor of Conservation Capital in conservation finance transactions globally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/conservation-capital/posts/?feedView=all
• Xx.com/conservationcap

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Conservation Capital