Financierización de la Naturaleza

This report by Friends of the Earth International critiques the 'financialization of nature,' arguing that redefining nature as a set of quantifiable 'ecosystem services' serves as a tool for capital markets to maximize profits and reduce industrial costs rather than protecting biodiversity.

• The 'financialization of nature' involves redefining nature as a collection of independent, quantifiable 'ecosystem services' to make it compatible with the 'green economy' and financial capital. This process allows for the sale of rights to these units to generate profit, which the report argues will deepen existing environmental crises because nature is a dynamic interaction rather than a set of discrete units.
• The report contends that the primary value of ecosystem service markets for corporations is not the creation of new physical commodities, but the ability to reduce costs associated with environmental law compliance. Through 'offsetting' (compensación), companies can obtain a 'social license to destroy' by paying to protect nature in one location to justify destroying it in another.
• Financialization is presented as a continuation of historical colonial processes where nature was first defined as 'wasteland' and later as 'natural resources' to facilitate extraction. The report argues that current efforts to incorporate nature into capital markets will lead to increased violence and reduced control for Indigenous Peoples and traditional communities over their territories.
• The report identifies significant risks for communities involved in REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) projects. Analysis of contracts reveals they are often written in English without local translations, contain strict confidentiality clauses, and may obligate communities to maintain ecosystem services long after payments have ceased, often benefiting local elites over marginalized members.
• The report claims that nature offsetting programs have failed to stop biodiversity loss. It cites examples such as the European Union, where at least 65% of habitats and 52% of species are at risk, and Germany, where over 70 hectares of land are lost daily to infrastructure and urban expansion despite compensation laws.
• The report illustrates the volatility of economic valuation through a case in Costa Rica. A forest was initially valued at $60,000 per year because its bees pollinated coffee; however, when the landowner switched to pineapple—which does not require bee pollination—the economic value of the forest dropped to zero, creating a financial incentive to clear the forest.
• Specific legal and corporate examples of financialization include Brazil's 2012 Forest Code, which introduced 'forest restoration bonds' (CRA) allowing landowners to avoid restoring illegally deforested land by buying bonds; the French bank Caisse des Depots (CDC) using biodiversity offsets in the Camargue region to facilitate infrastructure projects; and uranium mining in Namibia by the company Areva.

APA

Kill, J. (2015). Financierización de la Naturaleza. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ATI-financierizacion-de-la-Naturaleza-ESP.pdf

Chicago

Kill, Jutta. Financierización de la Naturaleza. Friends of the Earth International, 2015. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ATI-financierizacion-de-la-Naturaleza-ESP.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kill |first1=Jutta |title=Financierización de la Naturaleza |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=2015 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ATI-financierizacion-de-la-Naturaleza-ESP.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kill2015financierizacin, author = {Kill, Jutta}, title = {{Financierización de la Naturaleza}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2015}, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ATI-financierizacion-de-la-Naturaleza-ESP.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }