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Today, I'm joined by Cakey Worthington, Senior Vice President of Sustainability and Natural Capital at Aurora Sustainable Lands. In this conversation, Cakey explains how Aurora has evolved from a carbon-focused investment strategy into a broader natural capital approach—one that values biodiversity, water, recreation, and other ecosystem services alongside financial returns. We discuss why carbon stewardship is replacing carbon maximization, how active forest management can strengthen both ecological resilience and long-term investment performance, and what investors should look for when evaluating natural capital asset managers. Cakey also shares how Aurora integrates field data, AI, remote sensing, and biodiversity monitoring across 1.65 million acres of forestland and why partnerships, transparency, and measurable outcomes will shape the future of institutional forest investment.
\"Our investors didn't invest in a fund—they invested in Aurora. That gives us the freedom to think beyond short-term returns and make management decisions that improve forest health, carbon outcomes, and ecosystem value for decades.\"
0:00 – Intro & favorite tree (the American white oak)
2:48 – Cakey's background and Aurora's origin story
8:01 – Investor profile and company structure
10:49 – From carbon strategy to natural capital
13:27 – What \"natural capital\" signals for the industry
16:56 – Harvesting operations and the evolving carbon strategy
19:42 – What to look for in a natural capital asset manager
23:56 – Data collection and operational decision-making
32:03 – Ecosystem services: insurance, communities, and other stakeholders
33:23 – Carbon stewardship vs. carbon maximization
40:08 – Lessons from adaptive, landscape-scale management
42:44 – Combining field data, remote sensing, and AI for monitoring
50:56 – The ISFC Natural Capital Project
53:37 – Balancing commercial returns with ecological outcomes
55:50 – Optimism for the future of natural capital
58:46 – Advice for investors new to forest investment
59:44 – Where to learn more about Aurora Sustainable Lands
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
Ambient Documentary by Sound Guru (Pixabay)
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