Brazil holds a rare combination of assets and is experiencing a decisive moment for Nature-Based Solutions (NbS). With capital already mobilized, the challenge has changed: beyond attracting resources, the focus is now on ensuring pipeline readiness, execution capacity, and market infrastructure.
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For the nature economy to scale, Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) must be understood beyond a purely environmental agenda. In this study, NbS represents the intersection where solutions to climate and social challenges converge with net biodiversity.
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The central problem is now organizing the conditions for this market to scale with integrity; there is no longer a need to prove that NbS matters.”
By definition, this study considers that nature-based solutions primarily offer solutions to social and climate challenges, net gains in biodiversity, economic options, and human well-being.
The 10 segments do not operate in silos. Data qualifies the pipeline. The pipeline connects to capital. Capital enables territorial implementation. Demand, anchored in public policy, builds predictability and scale.
A restoration project, a sociobioeconomy cooperative, and a nature tech company will not access capital through the same route. Reading the market as a single asset class reduces the efficiency of every allocation decision.
An invitation to interactive exploration (tools and data)
So that the intelligence of this mapping wouldn’t be restricted to static spreadsheets, we transformed the market information into two dynamic tools: an affinity network (graph) and an analytical panel (dashboard). We invite you to interact with the data and dive into the specifics of segments, biomes, and roles.
Explore the connection of 2,177 organizations mapped not by commercial partnerships, but by thematic affinities and shared purposes. The colors indicate the strategic segment, while the geometric shapes reveal the actor’s role in the market: circles for solution providers (ofertantes), squares for funders (financiadores), and triangles for enablers (dinamizadores).
Navigation tip: double-click any organization to activate “focus mode” and isolate its immediate network of connections.
Use our interactive exploration center to apply combined filters and create tailored analyses. Navigate through the thematic tabs (“Overview”, “NbS Anatomy”, and “Cross-references”) and use the side menu to cross-reference information by biomes of operation, detailed roles, and specific markers (tags).
Navigation tip: This view is optimized for desktop and tablet.
By exploring the tools above, the data reveals a high interdependence within the ecosystem and brings crucial sector patterns to light:
Three segments account for the largest share of the ecosystem: Forest Conservation, Nature Techs, and Green Infrastructure. This reflects areas with already established traction in ecological assets, as well as the technologies (such as Nature Techs) that provide the digital infrastructure enabling the broader ecosystem.
The tools expose a structural bottleneck: there is an abundance of solution providers on the ground, but a severe shortage of funders and territorial enablers. Without these articulators, initiatives cannot access capital.
The long biological cycles and risks of NbS demand financial innovations. Capital flow shows the leading role of investors using blended finance and patient capital to make the market viable.
The biome map reflects an underrepresentation of the Coastal and Marine Zone. The Blue Economy in Brazil still faces regulatory challenges and a lack of structured pipeline to attract venture capital.
Within the Sociobioeconomy, the high proportion of cooperatives and community-based enterprises demonstrates that the scale that the scale of this segment inherently depends on strengthening local organizations and community governance.
The sector’s main hurdles no longer stem solely from a lack of projects, but from the absence of an infrastructure capable of connecting assets, segments, capital, data, territory, and demand. To unlock this scenario, the study proposes systemic interventions structured across five complementary fronts:
The main gap today is the lack of a legible pipeline. Minimum standards must be established and assets made comparable to facilitate risk assessment and connections to capital.
Scale does not emerge solely from individual projects, but from local arrangements (like BioHubs) capable of articulating governance, technical assistance, processing, and financing within the same territorial base.
Standardized solutions fail in the face of long biological cycles. The next phase will require financial architectures that combine grants, catalytic capital, flexible debt, and blended finance to align risk and return with nature’s conditions.
The value of NbS depends on attributes that must be verified (such as carbon, origin, and biodiversity). Traceability and robust monitoring systems (MRV) are not just technical support, but central conditions for ensuring trust and bankability.
No market scales through supply alone. The State and corporate buyers must help induce demand through public procurement, credit lines, and long-term contracts (like offtake agreements) to provide revenue predictability for projects.
The Brazilian Nature-Based Solutions market is not starting from scratch. In recent years, a robust intermediary layer of coalitions, platforms, funds, territorial organizations, and financial institutions has formed, already playing a decisive role in structuring the ecosystem. The study identifies these structures across four fronts of action:
Organizations that produce market intelligence, structure blended finance solutions, and operate induction programs to reduce risks and connect assets with compatible capital.
Initiatives focused on establishing eligibility criteria, shared languages (such as taxonomies), and connecting NbS to planning instruments and public policy frameworks.
Enablers operating on the ground with technical assistance, strengthening of community businesses, local governance, and articulation of socio-biodiversity chains.
The new generation of platforms (Nature Techs) aimed at traceability, MRV, geointelligence, and compliance, which are essential for transforming socio-environmental value into comparable and bankable assets.
Participate in structuring this market
Brazil can go beyond simply participating in the global Nature-Based Solutions market – we can help define it. Download the complete study, explore the interactive tools, and discover the connections that will drive your next strategic move.
Full report will be available soon.
Daniel Contrucci
Laura Fostinone
Ude Lottfi
Laura Fostinone
Daniel Contrucci
Ude Lottfi
Fabiana Philippi
Heloisa Garcia
Maria Eugênia Buosi
Vitor Salomao
Queries and Code – Rafael Pereira
Indense – Luiz Bouabci
Juliana Baladelli Ribeiro – Fundação Grupo Boticário
Guilherme Karam – Fundação Grupo Boticário
Luiz Teodoro
RevisoLab
Gabriela Rocha
Climate Ventures
Amanda Custodio
Sintrópika
We work in collaboration with organizations and institutions committed to the climate agenda and sustainable development, including:
These partners play a crucial role in the development and implementation of the solutions and analyses presented by OV Insights.
