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Anton Timpers (LinkedIn)

FMO

Today on Forest Invest, I am joined by Anton Timpers, Manager of Agriculture, Food and Forestry at FMO, the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank.

Anton explains how FMO approaches forestry as part of its wider agribusiness and sustainable land-use strategy. We discuss how the bank invests across the full forestry life cycle, from early-stage plantation projects to mature industrial forestry in emerging markets. Anton also outlines why FMO continues to support sustainable plantation forestry as a cornerstone of the future bio-based economy.

We explore the role of blended finance and concessional capital in crowding in private investment, and how development finance institutions can help reduce risk in frontier and emerging markets. Anton highlights the environmental and social safeguards FMO applies to avoid deforestation, ensure certification, and prevent greenwashing in forestry projects.

Anton also shares FMO’s ambition to invest up to 1 billion euros in forestry and sustainable land use by 2030. We talk about the challenge of finding truly bankable forestry projects in fragmented markets across Latin America, Africa and Asia, and what potential investees need to have in place before approaching a development finance institution like FMO.

We are convinced about the opportunities in emerging markets, and we hope that with global supply shifting, people will consider these locations more seriously.

Chapters

[00:23 ] Meet today’s guest: Anton Timpers (FMO)

[00:34 ] Favourite tree

[01:02 ] Anton’s background and intro to FMO

[02:05 ] Building FMO’s forestry focus

[02:33 ] What makes FMO’s approach unique

[03:58 ] Investing across the asset maturity spectrum

[04:45 ] Co-investors and partners

[06:03 ] Appetite from commercial investors

[06:32 ] Plantation forestry vs natural forests

[08:20 ] Conservation, restoration and carbon risks

[10:13 ] Safeguards, certification and due diligence

[11:29 ] Why forestry moved into the agri team

[13:04 ] Standards, safeguards and risk frameworks

[14:26 ] FMO’s €1 billion forestry goal

[15:53 ] Main obstacles and fragmented markets

[17:49 ] Industrial demand and medium-sized enterprises

[20:01 ] Illegal logging and market realities

[21:47 ] Small global community of forestry investors

[23:21 ] What potential investees should know

[25:14 ] What to prepare before approaching FMO

[27:07 ] Direct equity vs fund-led co-investments

[27:50 ] COP discussions, pledges and Brazil focus

[29:39 ] Carbon credits, accounting and market gaps

[31:03 ] Positive momentum from COP

[32:06 ] Geographic focus: LatAm, Africa, Asia

[33:29 ] Concessional capital and early-stage funding

[35:36 ] How to approach FMO with an opportunity

[36:00 ] Final reflections

[36:11 ] Actionable advice for first-time forest investors

Production team

Founding Director and Host: Shauna Matkovich - The ForestLink

Producer and Editor: Magdalena Laas - Unscripted Creatives

Nature by MaxKoMusic/Soundcloud

Sopwell Woodlands and Scohaboy Bog SAC, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, IRELAND by wild_rumpus/Soundcloud

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