Financing more sustainable land use in regions where nature is under pressure
WWF and Rabobank are working together to explore how financial decisions can better take nature into account. The partnership focuses on selected key regions (‘landscapes’) where nature is under pressure and nature, agriculture and local communities are closely connected. It intends to combine conservation expertise with financial expertise, learning and policy dialogue in order to contribute to land use that puts less pressure on nature.
How it all connects
Ecosystems that underpin food production, climate resilience and livelihoods are under increasing strain. Deforestation and land conversion - often linked to global food systems - continue to push critical landscapes towards ecological limits.
These challenges are systemic.
They are shaped by the interaction of markets, policy, production systems and finance, and cannot be solved by one actor alone.
This is why the partnership explores how financial decision-making can better take nature into account and support more sustainable land use.
Working where it matters most: regions under pressure
The partnership focuses on regions where pressure on nature is highest. In these regions, WWF and Rabobank aim to bring together landscape action, financial innovation and broader system conditions to explore what can support more sustainable land use.
Landscape action
Testing and demonstrating approaches in the selected landscapes, where agriculture, nature and local economies interact.
Financial solutions
Developing and applying financial tools and incentives that support more sustainable land use and aim to reduce pressure on ecosystems.
Collaboration in practice
Helping create the right conditions for sustainable land use by working with public and private stakeholders.
From landscapes to broader change in the food and financial system
Experience gained in specific landscapes – a region where nature, farming and local communities are closely connected - is intended to be used beyond those locations. Insights from practice help inform how financial decision-making can better account for nature, and how institutions, standards and policies can evolve.
The ambition is not only to support improvements in individual projects, but to contribute to broader shifts in how financial flows and incentives shape food production systems.
Building on a foundation of collaboration
Over recent years, WWF and Rabobank have worked together across different sectors and regions to restore biodiversity and promote more sustainable production, following the start of our partnership in 2011.
Building on practical experience to support wider change
The renewed international partnership (2026–2030) builds on previous efforts and focuses on scaling impact and strengthening the integration of nature in financial decision-making. It combines action in priority regions with efforts to contribute to broader changes in financial systems, standards and practices.