A Natural Asset Company (NAC) is a newly proposed corporate structure designed to hold, manage, and grow the value of natural ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, oceans, and biodiversity corridors by converting the intrinsic and productive value of nature into tradable equity.
Rather than treating natural resources as commodities to be extracted or preserved through philanthropy, NACs aim to:
- Monetize ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, water purification, and biodiversity support
- Operate as for-profit entities whose primary assets are ecological, not industrial
- Be listed on public stock exchanges pending regulatory approval, allowing investors to directly hold equity in nature-based assets
- Channel private capital into conservation by making nature a financeable and investable asset class
- Provide a market-based solution to environmental degradation by assigning financial value to protection and restoration, not just exploitation
- Support climate and biodiversity goals while integrating natural capital into national and corporate balance sheets
NACs represent a shift toward treating natural systems as productive economic assets governed by financial, legal, and environmental performance criteria.
NACs aim to bridge a critical gap in the financial system: the absence of mechanisms to assign value to ecosystem preservation.
By making nature investable, NACs could unlock a new frontier in conservation finance, depending on how they are designed and regulated.
NACs also raise important questions:
- Who owns nature?
- Who benefits from the financialization of ecosystems?
- What are the implications of treating ecosystems as corporate property?
These questions must be addressed through careful policy oversight and ethical frameworks to ensure NACs support stewardship rather than commodification.
Global ecosystems are in decline. The United Nations' Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) warns of accelerating species extinction, marine degradation, and land-use damage driven by industrial development and unsustainable consumption. Current funding for ecosystem protection is far below what is needed. NACs are a response to this crisis, creating a pathway to channel private investment into ecosystem preservation and climate resilience.
The Intrinsic Exchange Group (IEG) pioneered the NAC model by proposing that ecosystems be treated as investable productive assets. This approach not only provides financial returns to investors but delivers value to governments, indigenous communities, and broader society. The NAC model supports regenerative economic practices and ecosystem productivity by integrating ecological performance into financial markets.