Impact-Driven Forestry Investing: Biodiversity & Climate Returns Beyond Business As Usual | Charlotte Kaiser, Head of Impact Finance, BTG Pactual TIG (#041)

SRI360 | Socially Responsible Investing, ESG, Impact Investing, Sustainable Investing

Traditional timberland investing has historically attracted those with long investment horizons, drawn by its reputation as a solid inflation hedge and ability to deliver cash yields competitive with public equities over the long term.
But imagine investing in forests not just for profit, but as a powerful agent of global sustainability and conservation. It’s a powerful win-win!
This episode is all about impact-driven timberland investments and my guest is Charlotte Kaiser, a visionary leading the charge at BTG Pactual’s Timberland Investment Group (TIG) as the Head of Impact Finance.
After her first job in community development banking in Borneo with a USAID project for the Biodiversity Conservation Network, she moved to The Nature Conservancy, becoming Deputy Managing Director in the creation of NatureVest. Charlotte scaled their impact investment portfolio to over $2.5 billion, focusing on conservation-driven strategies that benefit both people and the planet.
Charlotte now oversees TIG’s $6 billion portfolio, creating impact strategies to hit production objectives, create financial returns, and support water, biodiversity, and climate conservation at scale through their core timberland assets.
We also touch on how Charlotte generates impactful results for ecosystems and communities through key alliances with organizations such as The Nature Conservancy and Conservation International, all through real asset impact investing, as well as her thoughts on carbon offsets, reforestation, and biodiversity protection initiatives across the continent.
Tune in to learn how Charlotte and TIG are redefining sustainable forestry with impact-driven strategies.
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Show Notes
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About the SRI 360° Podcast: The SRI 360° Podcast is focused exclusively on sustainable & responsible investing. In each episode, I interview a world-class investor who is an accomplished practitioner from all asset classes.

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Key Takeaways
Intro (00:00)
Meet Charlotte Kaiser and early interest in conservation (01:02)
Charlotte’s 13-years at The Nature Conservancy/NatureVest (17:29)
Carbon offsets explained & their effectiveness in reducing emissions (23:51)
Strategic partnerships with corporate giants. Is it greenwashing? (33:03)
Charlotte’s transition to BTG Pactual’s Timberland Investment Group (35:45)
The role of traditional forestry in investor portfolios (40:30)
TIG’S impact investing strategy, measuring impact & main risks (45:44)
Sustainable forestry’s role in climate change & biodiversity (56:34)
The competitive advantage of sustainable forestry & tech innovation (01:01:27)
Rapid fire questions (01:03:47)

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Additional Resources

Learn more about Charlotte Kaiser & Timberland Investment Group:

Charlotte’s Bio
TIG’s Website
TIG’s LinkedIn
Learn more about NatureVest here.
Connect with Charlotte Kaiser on LinkedIn.
Find the book mentioned "Nature's Keepers" here.