Sign up to receive this Nature Investment Hub resource
To meet its 30×30 goals, Canada must still protect approximately 1.7 million km² of land, roughly the size of Alaska. On the marine conservation side of the ledger, Canada’s Auditor General concluded as of March 2025 that only 15.5% of marine and coastal areas were protected, leaving a shortfall of roughly 9.5 percent to reach 30%. In total, Canada had committed to conserving 2,496,168 km² of land and freshwater and 1,437,500 km² of oceans by 2025, a combined 3,933,668 km², an area larger than India, but it did not meet that 2025 milestone.
A key stumbling block remains the quantum of financing that needs to be deployed for conservation, stewardship and nature restoration activities in Canada. A 2020 report by the Nature Conservancy of Canada and Rally Assets estimated Canada’s biodiversity financing gap at $20-25 billion per year. Likewise, the Green Budget Coalition estimates that achieving the Nature Strategy’s goals will require around $5.5 billion in public investment by 2030. Based on this estimate, the $3.8B federal government commitment linked to the Nature Strategy is likely underfunded by at least $1.7B.
Fresh capital is required. By convening private investors and project proponents around the Canada Investment Summit, NIH and our partners are working to bridge this gap.
An invitation only event, the 5X for Nature: Investment Showcase and Roundtable Dialogue will bring together leaders working to raise capital for nature, including investors from across Canada and around the world participating in the Canada Investment Summit in Toronto.
If you are interested in attending this event, please fill out this expression of interest form.
If you are interested in learning more about the event or are interested in becoming a sponsor or partner, please contact Hamish Stewart at [email protected]
9:00am – Registration & refreshments
9:30am – Welcome remarks
9:45 – Keynote address
10:00am – PLENARY 1: Nature Finance Opportunities Across Asset Classes
Meeting Canada’s Nature Finance ambition will require capital to be mobilised across asset classes, from listed equities to corporate and sovereign bonds, and project finance. Nature finance leaders raising capital for landscape scale conservation projects and nature impact via publicly listed funds will share insights on how the market is evolving and what makes nature an investable theme across core asset classes.
Speakers
Moderator: Hamish Stewart, Director, Market Building Initiatives, The Nature Investment Hub
10:45am – PLENARY 2: What makes nature investable at diverse scales including working landscapes and large intact landscapes?
Landscape-scale conservation, including working landscapes, in Canada and other countries requires patient capital, clearly defined revenue streams, and a collaborative approach to structuring durable investments. Learn how investors are using new data and disclosure protocols to negotiate the future of connected habitats, demonstrate biodiversity impacts at scale, and grow land and marine based conservation to meet Canada’s 30% target in time for 2030.
Speakers
Moderator: Fate Seghir, Senior Vice President, Head of Sustainability, Mackenzie Investments
11:30am – PLENARY 3: Scaling capital for ocean conservation: the data and ambition driving progress across 3 oceans to 2030
Globally, achieving the global target of protecting at least 30% of the oceans protected by 2030 requires a massive scaling of capital, shifting from the current $1.2 billion in annual funding to over $15.8 billion. In Canada, as of late 2025, just 9.9% of the ocean is protected, with only 3.1% effectively managed, highlighting a critical need to transition from simply designating marine protected areas (MPAs) to financing and then actively managing them. With the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Oceans and the world’s longest coastline, Canada should be leading the global capital raise for ocean conservation.
This panel will unpack the capital required for Canada and peer countries to hit their 2030 ocean conservation targets and highlight opportunities for international cooperation to finance the future of sustainable oceans and a resilient blue economy.
Speakers
Moderator: Hamish Stewart, Director, Marking Building Initiatives, The Nature Investment Hub
12:15pm – A nature finance call to action: The 5X for Nature Roadmap launch
The 5X for Nature Roadmap Roadmap is being launched with nature finance ecosystem leaders to prioritize key data, capacity development, market infrastructure and enabling actions that will drive capital allocation to nature through to 2030 and beyond.
The Roadmap is a key enabling tool for Canada to achieve targets and actions set out in the 2030 National Biodiversity Strategy. For 5X for Nature to be a powerful tool for coordinated action, it requires buy-in from across the nature finance ecosystem. This is only possible if it is informed by technical experts and others who are currently engaged in and thinking about nature finance, and who are experiencing both challenges and windows of opportunity to advance their own work in order to help articulate the vision of what is needed to scale action.
12:45pm – Closing remarks
1:00pm – 2:00pm – Lunch & networking
