Riverwoods Investment Readiness Pioneers – Learning Reflections & Toolkit

Riverwoods Investment Readiness Pioneers is a project that aims to connect diverse groups of people in Scotland to explore and develop nature-based financing solutions. This initiative provided a platform for communities, landowners, and other stakeholders to collaborate and identify potential Riverwoods projects that could be financed using innovative mechanisms beyond traditional grants.

The project sought to harness the collective agency of these stakeholders to build a pipeline of investable projects that could contribute to the protection and enhancement of Scotland’s natural assets. Through this process, Riverwoods aimed to support the development of new financial models that could unlock private investment and deliver environmental, social and economic benefits to local communities.

Here, we share a self-evaluation of the Riverwoods learning journey This evaluation was initiated by Demsoc and completed by Involve during January to
March 2023 across three areas:

1. Quality of participation
2. Amplification of citizen voice
3. Impact on governance and infrastructure

We cover the main insights and recommendations from the project in a practical and interactive way, to help continue and support Riverwoods partnership development.