The role of natural capital in long-term savings

Our natural capital journey—as the world’s largest investment manager of natural capital assets,* Manulife Investment Management’s Global Head of Institutional Colin Fitzgerald shares how nearly 40 years of experience has refined our understanding of natural capital’s potential for addressing critical environmental challenges, and why these long duration assets are a natural fit for insurance companies and pension funds.

“We have become, over time, the largest manager of timberland globally. And what we realized is that not only does it provide a financial return, but also positive externalities in the form of carbon sequestration and management of the water table—and the impact that we're having on local societies is profound.”

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Global Head of Institutional Colin Fitzgerald met with Asset TV to discuss natural capital investing—what is it, and where do these assets fit within long-term saving vehicles?

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This material originally appeared on Asset TV and is repurposed with permission. The views expressed are subject to change. Manulife Investment Management is not responsible for the comments by or views of anyone not affiliated with Manulife Investment Management.

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*IPE research, as of January 29, 2024. Ranking is based on total natural capital assets under management (AUM), which include forestry/timberland and agriculture/farmland AUM. Firms were asked to provide AUM and the as of dates vary from December 31, 2022, to December 22, 2023.

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Manulife Investment Management is the brand for the global wealth and asset management segment of Manulife Financial Corporation. Our mission is to make decisions easier and lives better by empowering investors for a better tomorrow. Serving more than 17 million individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members, we believe our global reach, complementary businesses, and the strength of our parent company position us to help investors capitalize on today’s emerging global trends. We provide our clients access to public and private investment solutions across equities, fixed income, multi-asset, alternative, and sustainability-linked strategies, such as natural capital, to help them make more informed financial decisions and achieve their investment objectives. Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulifeim.com.

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Australia: Manulife Investment Management Timberland and Agriculture (Australasia) Pty Ltd, Manulife Investment Management (Hong Kong) Limited. Brazil: Hancock Asset Management Brasil Ltda. Canada: Manulife Investment Management Limited, Manulife Investment Management Distributors Inc., Manulife Investment Management (North America) Limited, Manulife Investment Management Private Markets (Canada) Corp. Mainland China: Manulife Overseas Investment Fund Management (Shanghai) Limited Company. European Economic Area Manulife Investment Management (Ireland) Ltd. which is authorised and regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland Hong Kong: Manulife Investment Management (Hong Kong) Limited. Indonesia: PT Manulife Aset Manajemen Indonesia. Japan: Manulife Investment Management (Japan) Limited. Malaysia: Manulife Investment Management (M) Berhad 200801033087 (834424-U) Philippines: Manulife Investment Management and Trust Corporation. Singapore: Manulife Investment Management (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. (Company Registration No. 200709952G) South Korea: Manulife Investment Management (Hong Kong) Limited. Switzerland: Manulife IM (Switzerland) LLC. Taiwan: Manulife Investment Management (Taiwan) Co. Ltd. United Kingdom: Manulife Investment Management (Europe) Ltd. which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority United States: John Hancock Investment Management LLC, Manulife Investment Management (US) LLC, Manulife Investment Management Private Markets (US) LLC and Manulife Investment Management Timberland and Agriculture Inc. Vietnam: Manulife Investment Fund Management (Vietnam) Company Limited.

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Colin Fitzgerald

Colin Fitzgerald, 

Global Head of Institutional

Manulife Investment Management

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