Natural Capital Ireland

Name

Natural Capital Ireland

Legal name

Irish Forum on Natural Capital CLG

Website

https://naturalcapitalireland.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural Capital Accounting and Environmental Policy Advocacy

NAICS

Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

akta.pro primary industry

Ecosystem Services & Natural Capital Assessment / Valuation (EUAHAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nature & Biodiversity Reporting (TNFD, natural capital) (EUAHAJAM), Ecosystem Services & Natural Capital Programs (Water, Biodiversity Credits, PES) (IMAMAJAK), Timberland Carbon & Natural Capital Project Development (Offsets/REDD+) (AFAMAKAH)

Keywords

• Natural capital accounting
• Ecosystem services valuation
• Environmental policy advocacy
• Sustainable forestry decision support
• Biodiversity capacity building

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Core Funding: Core operational funding from Irish government bodies including the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM). This funding enables research, policy engagement, and awareness raising activities.
2. Project-Based EU Funding: Funding from European programs such as Interreg North-West Europe for projects like REBORN (seagrass restoration), with total project budget of €4.9 million for REBORN alone.
3. Voluntary Contributions: Support from volunteers and individual/organizational supporters who contribute to the organization's mission, though formal donation mechanisms are not detailed.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Natural Capital Ireland is a not-for-profit organization that advocates for the natural capital approach in Ireland by producing educational resources (Quick Reads, Glossary, Explainer Videos), developing the ForES Decision Support Tool for forest management scenario analysis, and facilitating government-commissioned stakeholder workshops on natural capital accounting. It serves as a bridge between scientific research, government policy, and practical application across forestry, agriculture, and conservation sectors.

Product overview

Natural Capital Ireland is a not-for-profit organization that advocates for the natural capital approach in Ireland. Rather than offering a commercial software product, NCI produces educational resources, facilitates research projects, and develops decision-support tools. The main product is the ForES Decision Support Tool, an interactive web-based application for forest management decision-making. Supporting offerings include Quick Reads (PDF guides on natural capital topics), the NCI Glossary, Explainer Videos on YouTube, and educational documentaries such as the Seagrass documentary. These resources work together to build capacity and awareness about natural capital accounting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ForES Decision Support Tool An interactive, web-based decision support application that integrates Natural Capital Accounting with Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) modelling to help forest managers explore land management scenarios and understand how decisions influence ecosystem services over time. Allows comparison of alternative scenarios and examination of trade-offs between timber production and other ecosystem services. Built for Irish forest managers and Coillte Nature.
• Seagrass: The Hidden Life Beneath Our Shores Documentary A documentary film exploring the ecological importance of seagrass meadows, their role in carbon storage, biodiversity support, and coastal protection. Written and directed by Órla Coutin Fitzsimons with support from Zero Waste Alliance Ireland.
• Seagrasses and Ditchgrasses of Europe Poster An illustrated educational poster showcasing key European seagrass and ditchgrass species, designed for citizen science, education, and identification purposes, launched alongside the REBORN project pilot at Killala Bay.

Quantifiable outcome

• REBORN project aims to restore over 1 hectare of seagrass at scale across NWE, with potential uptake to 50,000 hectares
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Interreg North-West Europe REBORN ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 202611-partner consortium across 5 countries (Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany) focused on scaling up seagrass restoration. Total project budget €4.9 million with EU funding of €2.9 million. NCI supports project communication, training course development, and natural capital methodology integration.
• Trinity College DublincoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Lead academic partner on the ForES (Forests and Ecosystem Services) project, a four-year sustainable forestry research initiative. Prof Jane Stout serves as project lead. Also NCI co-founder and source of scientific expertise for natural capital accounting methodology.
• University College DublincoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Academic partner on ForES project with Prof Mary Kelly-Quinn leading ecological research. Contributed to development of decision support methodology combining natural capital accounting with Bayesian Belief Network modelling.
• Coillte NaturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Project partner and Ireland's largest forestry company, providing forest sites for research and practical forestry expertise. CEO Imelda Hurley has endorsed the natural capital approach for understanding forests' multiple benefits beyond timber.
• University of Galway (Ryan Institute)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey Irish research partner in REBORN project, led by Dr Liam Morrison and Dr Juan Lugilde Yáñez. Hosting seagrass restoration pilot site at Killala Bay and producing scientific and educational outputs including documentary and species poster.
• Zero Waste Alliance IrelandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in producing the 'Seagrass: The Hidden Life Beneath Our Shores' documentary, with writer/producer Órla Coutin Fitzsimons leading the production.
• Irish Environmental Network (IEN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner on High-Level Recommendations for Funding Nature Restoration in Ireland report, presented together with NPWS to Minister for Nature. Represents network of environmental NGOs advocating for nature restoration funding.
• CoastwatchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCitizen science organization delivering seagrass research and advocacy in Ireland, contributing to the ecosystem of expertise that REBORN builds upon for seagrass protection and restoration.
• Irish Timber Growers AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresented on ForES project steering group, bringing timber growers' perspective to sustainable forestry decision-support tool development.
• The Environmental ForumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of the Mrs Robinson documentary screening event for Earth Day at Nano Nagle Place, Cork, working with NCI on climate and biodiversity awareness events.
• KPMG Ireland Sustainable FuturesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerContributed to Natural Capital Stakeholder Workshop facilitation, bringing consulting expertise to policy consultation processes organized by NCI.
• Business For Biodiversity IrelandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCI Steering Committee member Dr Maria Fitzpatrick serves as Business Development Manager at Business For Biodiversity Ireland, connecting natural capital approaches with private sector biodiversity engagement.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• World Forum on Natural Capital: Global convening forum on natural capital valuation and accounting; comparable in convening and awareness-raising role and explicitly listed by NCI as a peer organization.
• Scottish Forum on Natural Capital: Direct counterpart operating in Scotland as a membership/advocacy forum promoting the natural capital approach with government, academia, and business stakeholders — highly comparable in mission, governance model, and policy-advocacy focus.
• Ecosystem Services Partnership: International network facilitating knowledge sharing on ecosystem services and natural capital; comparable in community-building and research-to-policy translation work, and explicitly cited on NCI's website.
• Business For Biodiversity Ireland: Ireland-based platform engaging businesses on biodiversity and natural capital; closely comparable in geography and stakeholder engagement, and a Steering Committee partner of NCI via Dr Maria Fitzpatrick.
• UK Natural Capital Committee: UK government advisory committee providing independent advice on natural capital to HM Treasury; comparable to NCI's policy-advisory role for Ireland and a natural peer cited directly on NCI's website.

Regional players

• Coillte Nature: Ireland's largest forestry company and a ForES project partner; comparable because Coillte applies natural capital approaches to commercial forest management, representing the practitioner side of the same ecosystem NCI serves.

Broad incumbents

• Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership: University-linked sustainability leadership institute working on natural capital and business policy; comparable in producing thought-leadership, training, and policy engagement in the same natural capital space.
• Natural Capital Project: Stanford-based partnership developing ecosystem service mapping software (InVEST) and methodologies; comparable as a natural capital methodology/decision-support developer with similar ecosystem accounting focus as NCI's ForES work.
• KPMG Sustainable Futures (Ireland): Consulting practice providing natural capital accounting and ESG advisory services; comparable as a commercial natural capital services provider and a Steering Committee participant at NCI.
• Capitals Coalition: Global multi-stakeholder coalition advancing the TEEB natural capital framework and Capitals Coalition protocols; overlaps with NCI's advocacy and capacity-building role but operates at international scale across capitals (natural, social, human).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/natcap_irl
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCCPF6_x-O745kz9Tg0ICZFA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/naturalcapitalireland
• Instagraminstagram.com/natcapirl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Natural Capital Ireland