Making the case for biodiversity and impact investing

The voice is calm and reflective. Nigel Sharp is someone who has the sound of the country in what he says, the way people raised on the land used to speak – unhurried, unfussed, uncomplicated. But Nigel’s message is anything but old-fashioned: it is, in fact, full of the urgency of the environmental challenges confronting the globe and finding new ways to support regenerative agriculture and biodiversity.

“It’s now or never,’’ he says, simply. Nigel is a biodiversity impact investor. His goal is to combine sustainable conservation businesses with commercial viability that makes them appealing to investors. Innovation and entrepreneurship with an environmental focus are at the core of making it all work.

Nigel was raised on a farm in south-west Victoria and after a stint as a valuer, bought the Mt Rothwell property in 2003 that became a testing ground for his approach. The 470ha property, north of the You Yangs in Victoria, is free of predators and has enabled the establishment of successful breeding programs for threatened species, the Eastern Barred Bandicoot, Brush Tailed rock wallabies and Eastern Quoll. It’s sister property, Tiverton – also in Victoria – is planned to supersede Mt Rothwell as the state’s largest feral predator-free conservation reserve. Nigel also established Odonata, a NfP that supports biodiversity solutions and taps into business to help support and fund its initiatives. He is, unmistakeably, an advocate for the difference impact investing can make when it turns its attention to the environment.

https://www.philanthropy.org.au/stories-Biodiversity-and-Impact-Investing