BNP Paribas Asset Management Alternatives (BNPP AM Alts) has made an equity investment in Rainforest Builder UK Ltd, a tropical forest restoration company operating in West Africa. The investment was made through BNPP AM Alts’ Natural Capital and Impact investments strategy as part of Rainforest Builder’s Series A financing round, which it led.
Alongside the equity investment, BNPP AM Alts has also committed financing for Rainforest Builder’s Project Colobus, a forest restoration project located in the Oti and Volta regions of eastern Ghana.
Project Colobus focuses on restoring degraded land within the Upper Guinean Forest ecozone, a biodiversity-rich region in West Africa. The project involves planting native tree species grown in the company’s nurseries and managing seed collection and storage as part of a “seed-to-forest” restoration process.
Rainforest Builder is also working with local farmers to support agricultural productivity through training and inputs. Part of the project area will be managed for sustainable timber production intended to support local livelihoods.
The investment will support the development of forest restoration projects designed to generate carbon removal credits. It will also contribute to expanding the company’s restoration activities and the development of its data-driven restoration system that integrates operational and ecological data.
BNPP AM Alts manages approximately €300 billion in assets across real estate, infrastructure, alternative credit and private equity following the consolidation of activities from AXA Investment Managers, BNP Paribas Real Estate Investment Management and BNP Paribas Asset Management under a unified platform.
Alexandre Martin-Min, Head of Natural Capital and Impact Investments at BNPP AM Alts, said the investment reflects growing interest in natural climate solutions in West Africa, where reforestation projects often face funding gaps.
Ed Stephenson, Co-Chief Executive Officer of Rainforest Builder, said the company currently operates four restoration projects across Ghana, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
The investment is intended to support ecosystem restoration initiatives while generating carbon removal credits and supporting local economic activity.
