West Yorkshire Pension Fund (WYPF)-backed Rebalance Earth, a UK-based asset manager pioneering investment in ‘nature as infrastructure’, has launched a partnership with marine restoration company Oyster Heaven.
Rebalance Earth will provide capital to enable Oyster Heaven to develop the infrastructure and capacity needed to restore oyster reefs “at scale”.
The capital is part of a £25m (€28.9m) investment from UK local government pension scheme WYPF, committed in June to Rebalance Earth’s cornerstone portfolio for its nature-based infrastructure fund. Rebalance Earth has been appointed as investment adviser to WYPF, with a mandate to build a portfolio that “delivers resilience, supports long-term value creation, and generates measurable environmental outcomes”, the manager said.
The initiative is intended to support further investment in restoration from companies that recognise the importance of the services these ecosystems provide — from cleaner water to stronger coastal protection.
The manager added that this is Europe’s first oyster reef restoration project funded by private investment, making it “a landmark moment showing that restoring marine ecosystems can attract investors”.
Rob Gardner, CEO and co-founder of Rebalance Earth, said: “Oyster Heaven’s expertise and innovative approach complement our mission to make nature a core part of the global economic system.
“This partnership represents a shared commitment to demonstrating how nature can be restored, valued, and financed in ways that deliver lasting benefits to businesses, communities, and the environment.”
George Birch, founder of Oyster Heaven, said: “Businesses and our society are starting to value nature properly and are prepared to pay for it. We are realising that just like we shouldn’t value smartphones based on the scrap metal they are made from, we shouldn’t value oysters by their protein.
“Our first large-scale project in the UK will demonstrate the value these brave organic machines can bring to our coastlines and show that there is a real business model behind investing in nature.”
Rebalance Earth and Oyster Heaven jointly said they are “building a blueprint for how finance and ecological innovation can work hand-in-hand to accelerate the transition to a resilient, nature-positive economy”.
Gardner, who co-founded Redington and is a former director of investments at St James’s Place, co-launched Rebalance Earth in 2023 as a specialist investment manager dedicated to investing in nature as business-critical infrastructure. This includes the restoration of landscapes and watersheds to protect companies, communities, and cities from climate-related risks such as flooding, drought and water pollution.
He explained that Rebalance Earth monetises ecosystem services through payments for ecosystem services (PES) contracts, integrating nature into corporate risk management strategies while additionally generating income through high-integrity carbon credits and Biodiversity Net Gain units.
Rebalance Earth claims to have the largest natural capital team focused on the UK, and is 75% employee-owned, with 25% held by the West Yorkshire Pension Fund.
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