Turning rangeland restoration into sustainable investment opportunities

As countries seek solutions to climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation, attention is increasingly turning to the role of livestock systems in restoring landscapes while sustaining livelihoods. New investment models presented at a global livestock dialogue in Brazil demonstrate how rangeland restoration can become an attractive opportunity for private and blended finance, helping to transform livestock production into a driver of environmental recovery and economic resilience.

A global dialogue on livestock and landscapes 

Between 5^th and 8^th May 2026, the Global Environment Facility (GEF)-funded Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration Impact Program (FOLUR) and the GEF-8 Food Systems Integrated Program (FSIP) convened a Livestock Sector Dialogue in Brasília, Brazil. The event brought together governments, international organizations, researchers, financial institutions, and private sector actors to explore pathways toward more sustainable livestock systems. Discussions centered on how livestock landscapes can contribute to climate resilience, restoration and sustainable development while reducing pressure on land and ecosystems. Participants examined practical approaches for scaling sustainable livestock transformation through stronger collaboration between public and private actors. The dialogue formed part of a broader effort by FOLUR to address the world's most pressing environmental challenges. Unchecked agricultural expansion has contributed to the destruction of biodiversity-rich forests and rangelands while accelerating greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Through support for climate-smart livestock practices, including silvopastoral systems that integrate trees, pastures, and livestock, FOLUR seeks to restore degraded landscapes, strengthen food systems and improve resilience for farming communities.

Putting investment behind restoration 

A key contribution to the dialogue came from the Sustainable Investments for Large Scale Rangeland Restoration (STELARR) project. Lennart Hientz, Global Livestock Value Chain Advisor for STELARR, presented a series of investment cases designed to attract private sector capital into large-scale rangeland restoration initiatives.

“Rangelands cover vast areas of the globe and support millions of livelihoods, yet they remain significantly underfunded,” said Hientz. “Our objective is to develop practical investment opportunities that generate environmental benefits while creating value for producers, investors, and communities.”

The investment cases demonstrated how restoration goals can link directly to livestock value chains, creating business models capable of attracting long-term financing while improving ecosystem health. Two standout examples illustrated what this looks like in practice. 

Meat Naturally: connecting communities to markets in South Africa.

The first featured example was the Meat Naturally model in Southern Africa. The initiative provides a scalable platform that connects communal livestock producers with markets while promoting sustainable rangeland management. Through a combination of mobile livestock auctions, restoration training and value chain infrastructure, the initiative aims to improve market access for more than 15,000 farmers across South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Mozambique. The initiative seeks to mobilize approximately USD 14 million to support the restoration of around two million hectares of rangeland. By encouraging regenerative grazing practices and strengthening market opportunities, Meat Naturally demonstrates how economic incentives and landscape restoration objectives can work hand in hand.

Elysium Cerrado: Blending finance and nature in Brazil 

A second investment case focused on the Elysium Cerrado initiative in Brazil. Operating across approximately 30,000 hectares of the Cerrado biome, one of the world’s most biodiverse savanna ecosystems, the project combines livestock production with land restoration, non-timber forest products, and carbon finance mechanisms. The initiative is structured to attract approximately USD 63 million in long-term capital through a combination of debt, equity investment, and carbon finance. Structured carbon offtake agreements linked to reforestation and biochar carbon removal form a critical component of the financing strategy. The project illustrates how restoration-focused livestock systems can simultaneously improve productivity, restore soils, and increase biodiversity while creating new income streams for producers.

“Investors are increasingly looking for opportunities that deliver measurable environmental and social outcomes alongside financial returns,” he said. “The challenge is creating investment structures that can connect restoration activities on the ground with sources of capital seeking impact.”

Beyond presenting individual investment opportunities, the STELARR team also highlighted the broader challenges that continue to limit investment in rangelands. These include difficulties in measuring restoration outcomes, demonstrating returns on investment and creating trusted systems for monitoring and verification. To address these barriers, STELARR is supporting the development of a global Rangeland Standard that will recognize and reward producers and stewards who demonstrate strong management of rangeland ecosystems. The newly established Rangelands Stewardship Council will oversee this standard, supported by a monitoring system co-developed with the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF). This framework will provide greater confidence for investors, buyers, and policymakers by establishing consistent, credible approaches for assessing and verifying sustainable rangeland management practices.  What distinguishes the STELARR approach is its emphasis on creating practical links between restoration projects and investment capital. Rather than focusing solely on restoration planning, the initiative works to develop bankable investment cases and connect them with facilities, funds, and platforms seeking credible opportunities to deliver both environmental and financial returns.

What comes next? 

This growing portfolio of investment cases will be officially launched through the STELARR Rangeland Restoration Hub during the upcoming Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP), which will take place in Mongolia in August 2026.

As global attention increasingly shifts toward nature-positive development and sustainable food systems, initiatives such as STELARR demonstrate that restoring rangelands is both an environmentally imperative and a promising investment opportunity, one capable of delivering benefits for people, livestock, and landscapes alike.

Contributor: Abiy Rahel (ILRI)

Further reading 

• STELARR Volume I—Global opportunities for rangelands restoration through livestock value chains
• STELARR Volume II—Central Asia and Middle East: Opportunities for rangelands restoration through livestock value chains
• STELARR Volume IV—Latin America: Opportunities for rangelands restoration through livestock value chains
• Africa: Opportunities for rangelands restoration through livestock value chains
• Opportunities, barriers, and incentives for multistakeholder collaboration and investment in rangeland restoration in Colombia 
• Unlocking investment opportunities through grassland restoration in Colombia
• STELARR—Investing in Rangeland Restoration: A high-impact and large-scale investment opportunity
• Opportunities for STELARR engaging in cashmere, vicuna, and mohair value chains: Recommendations for private sector rangeland investments