New York, NY – 15 January 15 2025 – The BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group (BTG Pactual TIG) achieved a key milestone in its collaboration with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), announcing today that it has recently sold 407 acres in the Sandhills region of North Carolina to the Three Rivers Land Trust (TRLT). The transaction demonstrates how conservation can be achieved through partnerships between the environmental community and the commercial timberland sector.
The parcels were originally identified as a top priority for permanent protection by TNC – which serves as the Conservation Advisor for BTG Pactual TIG’s core U.S. portfolio – due to their strategic location within a network of protected lands in the region. As a result of this transaction, these parcels will never be developed and will remain forested indefinitely, providing an important travel corridor for multiple species, including threatened and endangered species such as the red-cockaded woodpecker.
The transaction was made possible by a partnership between TRLT and the Department of Defense to support military training activities around Fort Liberty and Camp Mackall. In addition to the conservation benefits, the permanent protection of these properties will protect critical airspace and help the military conduct effective and realistic training for its units.
“These parcels contribute to an important conservation corridor between Sandhills Game Land and Fort Liberty, two properties that support some of the best remaining examples of the Longleaf Pine ecosystem. This corridor helps connect populations of the federally threatened red-cockaded woodpecker and other rare species, and it also allows the Army to conduct training exercises that must avoid developed areas,” said Jeff Marcus, North Carolina Longleaf Applied Scientist with TNC’s North Carolina chapter.
“Traditional conservation transactions typically take years to execute, and it can be challenging to align public sector and private sector interests to achieve permanent land protection. This project demonstrates that through trusted collaboration, such obstacles can be navigated to deliver meaningful conservation impact.” said Cat Burns, Managing Director, Impact Management at NatureVest, TNC’s Impact Investing and Sustainable Finance team.
“This is an important milestone in our collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, demonstrating the value that can be delivered by combining BTG Pactual TIG and TNC expertise to unlock additional conservation and climate action across our portfolio,” said Gerrity Lansing, Head of BTG Pactual TIG. “Not only will this sale help expand the reach and impact of local conservation efforts – while also providing a valuable service to our nation’s military – we hope it will also serve as a blueprint for others regarding the outcomes that can be delivered through effective collaboration between the environmental community and the private sector.”
About BTG Pactual TIG
BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group (BTG Pactual TIG), a division of BTG Pactual Asset Management, is one of the world’s largest timberland managers with $7.2 billion assets and commitments and nearly 2.7 million acres under management throughout the United States and Latin America (as of Q3 2024). BTG Pactual TIG’s team of more than 160 professionals has an on-the-ground presence through 21 offices, bringing local, regional, and global experience to bear on the management of client investments. For more information, please visit www.timberlandinvestmentgroup.com.
About TNC
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global conservation nonprofit that, since 1951, has worked to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. Grounded in local experience and deep scientific expertise, TNC leverages science, real world solutions, and partnerships to protect land and water and support climate action. TNC has over 5,000 staff, including 1,000 scientists, working in 79 countries and territories, and across all 50 U.S. states.