The fresh funding will help restore and safeguard forests and coastal environments, support responsible land use, and expand access to clean cooking technologies.

The Swedish development finance institution says the capital injection is intended to tackle the significant funding gaps that exist for nature-based climate action, while also promoting long-term environmental and economic benefits.

According to Swedfund’s chief executive, Maria Håkansson, nature-centered approaches are essential to global climate strategies but have historically received too little investment.

Hummingbirds Gondwana plans to channel the investment into a range of activities, including conserving existing forests, planting new trees, restoring mangrove forests and boosting agroforestry practices that blend trees with agriculture.

Clean cooking initiatives that reduce dependency on traditional fuel sources — and thus ease pressure on forest resources — are also part of the platform’s portfolio.

The platform is an initiative of Hummingbirds, a Paris-based developer and financier of community-led nature projects that works with local partners across Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America.

The organization has helped shape a variety of projects focused on ecosystem protection and community wellbeing, from mangrove restoration in Kenya to improved cookstove programs in Benin.

Members of Swedfund’s Energy and Climate team stress that investments in nature-based solutions deliver multiple benefits: they help mitigate climate change, protect biodiversity, and can generate social gains, especially for women and rural populations.

Jérémie Hoffsaes noted that the approach serves people and ecosystems at the same time, strengthening both environmental and social outcomes.

Swedfund is making this investment alongside other development financiers, including Proparco and British International Investment, as part of a larger financing effort that totals around €50 million for the Gondwana platform.

The backing is supported by an EU guarantee under the European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+) Carbon Sinks program, designed to reduce investment risk for climate-related nature projects.