• CapMan Natural Capital and FSC I&P will test verified biodiversity and social impact measurement across European forest investments.
• Implementation is expected to begin in Finland in 2026 before expanding to other European forestry markets in 2027.
• The initiative responds to investor demand for nature-related data that can be assessed alongside traditional financial performance.

CapMan Natural Capital and FSC International & Partnerships are joining forces to make forest biodiversity outcomes more measurable for institutional investors.

The two organizations will explore the use of FSC Verified Impact across selected European forest investment portfolios. The work is expected to begin with forest holdings in Finland during 2026. It will then expand to other key European forestry regions next year.

The initiative will cover holdings within the CapMan Dasos European Forest Fund IV portfolio. Its focus is straightforward: give investors stronger evidence of the environmental and social outcomes generated by responsibly managed forests.

Turning biodiversity into investment data

FSC Verified Impact is designed to verify measurable environmental and social outcomes from responsibly managed forests.

For investors, the approach could help address a persistent challenge in natural capital strategies. Biodiversity and social benefits can form a central part of an investment thesis. Yet measuring those benefits consistently remains difficult.

CapMan Natural Capital manages investments across forestry and agriculture. Its strategy links sustainable management practices with the resilience and long-term value of underlying assets.

The collaboration with FSC I&P aims to strengthen the evidence behind that relationship. In particular, CapMan wants to demonstrate contributions to biodiversity conservation, climate resilience and positive social outcomes.

“We were among the first in Europe to certify our forests for sustainable management, and that decision moved the market. FSC Verified Impact is the next step, turning biodiversity outcomes into evidence investors can actually use,” says Ivan Gjoshevski, Sustainability Value Creation Manager at CapMan.

The distinction between certification and verified outcomes is important. Certification can demonstrate that management practices meet established standards. Impact verification goes further by seeking evidence of what those practices deliver.

Investors push for credible nature metrics

Demand for this type of information is increasing as investors examine their exposure to nature-related risks and dependencies.

For asset managers, credible impact data can also strengthen portfolio monitoring and investor reporting. It can help investment committees assess whether environmental claims are supported by measurable outcomes.

RELATED ARTICLE: Chestnut Carbon Secures First North American FSC Biodiversity Verification For IFM Forest Project

“This strategic partnership marks an important next step in CapMan Natural Capital’s sustainability efforts. By developing a consistent way of measuring and verifying nature and social outcomes, we are also responding to the increasing demand from investors for credible impact. By working with FSC I&P, we have an ambition to set a new market standard for how forestry performance is valued, with verified impact considered alongside financial indicators”, says Jyri Hietala, Managing Partner at CapMan Natural Capital.

The collaboration will bring together CapMan Natural Capital, FSC I&P and FSC offices across Europe. The organizations plan to build capacity, share expertise and develop practical insights from the implementation process.

Those findings could help shape how verified forest impacts are incorporated into investment decisions and wider natural capital strategies.

Nature outcomes move closer to financial decision-making

The project comes as biodiversity moves higher on corporate and investor agendas. Financial institutions increasingly need methods that can translate nature-related performance into comparable, decision-useful information.

“Investors are increasingly seeking credible, transparent and decision-useful information on the environmental and social performance of their assets. FSC’s ambition is to help make verified nature outcomes an integral part of investment decision-making. This partnership reflects a broader shift in financial markets from commitments to measurable outcomes,” says Michele Gonzalez-Mendia, Chief of Sustainable Finance and Partnerships, FSC I&P.

For C-suite executives and investors, the initiative points to a wider evolution in natural capital finance. The focus is moving beyond whether an asset follows responsible management practices. Investors increasingly want to know what those practices actually achieve.

If the European rollout delivers consistent and comparable results, verified forest impacts could become more useful in portfolio construction, reporting and asset valuation. That would give investors another tool for connecting biodiversity performance with long-term financial value.

For Europe’s growing natural capital market, that connection will be critical. Capital seeking environmental impact will increasingly need evidence that nature-related outcomes are measurable, credible and capable of standing alongside financial indicators.