As Triodos Bank continues to finance nature-based solutions, we are proud to announce a new loan to nature restoration company, RESTORE. This funding will help to scale RESTORE from an embedded rewilding consultancy to a comprehensive nature restoration business, designing and delivering bespoke 100-year natural capital projects.

RESTORE are driven by a shared aspiration to see landscapes, species and rural jobs brought back into life across the UK. This new support from Triodos will enable them to further support clients in accelerating their land transitions and so provide more protection for nature across the UK.

Visionary yet pragmatic

Due to human activity, the UK now has less than half of its biodiversity remaining. The evidence from the last 50 years, presented in the State of Nature report, shows that the intensive way in which we manage our land for farming and the continuing effects of climate change, are the two biggest drivers of nature loss. As a result of these factors, amongst others, the UK is now one of the most nature-depleted countries on Earth.

Nature-depletion in countries has direct impacts on human health and ecosystems. For example, pollinating insects are worth millions of pounds to UK agriculture, and their population declines threaten food production, with approximately three quarters of all crops around the world depending on them.

Founded in 2023, the RESTORE team recognised the need for natural capital services within the growing nature-based solutions sector and has since worked to offer landowners the opportunity to profitably return nature to their land. Through this, the organisation aims to educate landowners about restorative potential and how this can benefit both them and the environment. 

"The partnership with Triodos allows us to scale and upstaff whilst not becoming a standard consultancy that chases the next contract. It allows us to retain our ambition and focus upon key, large-acreage projects across the UK, which we are increasingly securing through a four-layered approach of vision, managed rewilding, ecological science and natural capital delivery," explains Benedict Macdonald, founding director of RESTORE.

“Triodos Bank is a natural partner, aligned to the very ambitious ecological standards that RESTORE seeks to deliver”

Benedict Macdonald, founding director of RESTORE

The organisation’s work covers the whole of the UK, with projects ranging from the country's first dedicated breeding facility for native invertebrates in Devon through to creating flagship rewilding projects in Bedfordshire.

Through its focus on reinstating natural processes, RESTORE works to create and scale living ecosystems all whilst not owning one inch of land.

Our commitment to nature-based solutions

In November 2024, Triodos Bank announced its commitment to providing at least EUR 500 million in investments, loans and contributions to the nature-based solutions sector by the end of 2030 as part of its biodiversity targets. This initiative underscores the bank’s dedication to addressing the urgent need for nature restoration and conservation, removal of CO2 emissions from the atmosphere and providing social benefits. 

“As a bank that recognises the critical importance of restoring our natural environment and mitigating the effects of the climate crisis, we’ve been proud to be at the forefront of financing nature-based solutions projects in the UK for a number of years. However, it’s also important to us that this fast-growing sector has the professional services capacity and infrastructure to continue on this trajectory, which is why we’re so pleased to support RESTORE in its growth plans." -  Jacco Minnaar, Chief Commercial Officer at Triodos Bank.
 

Ensuring conservation scale across the UK

Restore offers a full range of services to assist landowners in profitably returning nature to their land:

  • Ecological restoration – RESTORE is most well-known for its comprehensive ecological restoration expertise, international insight and practical management in rewilding.
  • Abundance farming - Working across over 25,000 acres of farmed land, RESTORE introduces methods to create living systems filled with plants, invertebrates and avian abundance.
  • Strategy reports - RESTORE’s strategy reports assess where and how nature can be restored, helping landowners to understand the implications of nature recovery for their land.

Aligning profitability with environmental responsibility

RESTORE’s work to transition landscapes is conducted via their ‘end to end’ nature restoration service, led by nature and paid for by natural capital markets. Once an organisation completes a nature restoration project and has it verified, they may receive credits which they can sell to other organisations.

Biodiversity net gain credits are allocated when a landowner enhances the biodiversity on their land. Off-site organisations can purchase these credits off landowners when they cannot deliver the required biodiversity gain in their own projects.

Biodiversity net gain: creating and improving natural habitats

Carbon credits similarly are allocated to projects which remove CO2 from the atmosphere. These can also be purchased by organisations looking to offset emissions that have been generated by their business practices.

As demand for nature-based investment opportunities rises, natural capital offers a unique chance to deliver measurable environmental impact while securing long-term, regenerative economic value.

Business lending that's fair, flexible, and far-reaching

We take an innovative approach to lending, so can offer flexibility and stability for nature-focused projects as they work towards their goals.

Whether you're a small, medium or large organisation, if you're committed to tackling the social and environmental challenges facing us, then our team might be able to help. Our approach to lending and capital raising means you'll get the right support and funding you need.

Find out what we can offer.