Global accolades for CEFC natural capital investments

17 April 2024

CEFC natural capital investments and co-investors have received international recognition in the prestigious 2023 Agri Investor Awards, winning multiple categories including Global Farmland Deal of the Year for Wilga Farming and Global Institutional Investor of the Year for Canadian pension fund Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ).

Wilga Farming, established last year by the CEFC and CDPQ to drive down emissions and improve sustainability across the sector, also won Asia Pacific Farmland Deal of the Year, while CDPQ also took out the Americas Institutional Investor of the Year, 2023.

CDPQ invested $150 million and the CEFC invested $50 million in Wilga Farming, and both also acquired a minority equity stake in the platform manager, Gunn Agri, to help shape its future sustainable agriculture and natural capital strategies.

Global investment manager New Forests was named Asia Pacific Fund Manager of the Year for a stellar 2023, which included a first close of the Australia New Zealand Landscapes and Forestry Fund. The CEFC invested $75 million in the target $600 million Fund, in its inaugural forestry natural capital investment.

In addition, Macquarie Asset Management won Asia Pacific Farmland Manager of the Year, with judges citing the performance of Macquarie Agriculture Fund – Crop Australia and Macquarie Pastoral Fund in 2023. 

The CEFC committed $75 million to Macquarie Pastoral Fund in 2022 to support efforts by Paraway Pastoral Company to reduce on-farm methane and in 2017 invested $100 million in the Macquarie Agriculture Fund – Crop Australia to support sustainable on-farm asset management practices.

CEFC Chief Investment Officer – Infrastructure and Alternatives, Rory Lonergan said: “The global recognition of these landmark investments and the work of our co-investors illustrates the impact of the CEFC’s natural capital strategy.”

“The vision and ambition that we share with our co-investors is bringing much-needed capital to the agricultural sector, and driving improved decarbonisation outcomes for our natural capital assets.” 

CEFC Head of Natural Capital, Heechung Sung said: “Innovative investment strategies that reduce carbon emissions and demonstrate the value of natural capital are crucial to the future of farming in Australia.”

“Wilga Farming’s strategy is designed to manage and configure landscapes for their highest and best land use, to help accelerate decarbonisation and to sequester carbon. The knowledge and hands-on experience of the Gunn Agri team, together with our capital partner CDPQ will help deliver on this investment. CEFC natural capital investments will continue to help the agricultural sector tackle its emissions challenge and to deploy critical carbon sequestration projects in a low carbon future.”

The CEFC has previously been recognised by the Agri Investor Awards across several categories.  The CEFC was named the 2022 Asia Pacific Institutional Investor of the Year and Ms Sung was runner up in the category of Personality of the Year. It also won the 2021 Asia Pacific Institutional Investor of the Year and Global Sustainable Investor of the Year.