Introducing THE NAT, Nature’s Coolest New Advocate

Launching today, a new cultural platform aims to raise vital funds for nature, using cultural icons to galvanise benefactors to close the whopping $710 billion nature finance gap. But what exactly is THE NAT? And how does it differ from existing initiatives? Counting Stella McCartney, Harrison Ford and Sabrina Elba among its advocates, here’s everything you need to know about nature’s coolest, most stylish new charity.

Introducing THE NAT

There’s a $710 billion nature finance gap, say founders of THE NAT, and this is where THE NAT’s story begins. ‘The nature finance gap is the difference between how much is currently invested in protecting and restoring nature, and how much is needed annually to meet the goals of the Global Biodiversity Plan – a commitment made by 196 countries in 2022 to guide global action on nature,’ explains THE NAT’s founder, Gail Gallie.

‘Our health, culture and economy all depend on nature,’ Gallie continues. ‘In fact, 55 percent of Global GDP highly or moderately depends on nature, yet nature has been chronically undervalued. This is one of the main reasons that has led to the nature finance gap.’

In a nut shell, Gallie defines THE NAT as ‘a movement with a mission to amplify awareness and accelerate action for nature’.

‘We do this by reconnecting people with nature’s awe-inspiring power, convening diverse voices, and scaling nature-positive change,’ Gallie says.

Why now? ‘Because we believe nature needs our respect and our protection,’ Gallie says. ‘Nature needs us to rally together and champion change at the highest level. Nature is in crisis. Global wildlife populations have declined by 73 percent in the last 50 years, and we are just five years away from 2030, by which point we need to have halted and reversed nature loss in line with the Global Biodiversity Plan.

‘This urgent change will only happen if we reconnect people with nature’s awe-inspiring power, and support innovative solutions to create long-term change,’ Gallie says. The first step for THE NAT was gathering a group of prominent, influential backers from industries spanning fashion, music, the arts and environmental advocacy. The first wave, known as NATure Stewards, includes:

• Stella McCartney CBE, fashion designer and sustainability advocate
• Actor and nature advocate Harrison Ford
• Sabrina Elba, actor, model and advocate
• Conservation International’s CEO M. Sanjayan
• Joerg Koch, founder and editor-in-chief of 032c
• WRI Africa’s MD Wanjira Mathai
• CEO of Coral Gardeners, Titouan Bernicot

‘For too long we have taken for granted the ecosystem services that nature provides,’ Gallie says. ‘Things like pollination that helps provide our food, or timber that is used across many industries, even its ability to clean our water and clean our air. These are all services that are threatened by nature loss, and would have major impacts on our economy if they were to disappear.

‘THE NAT will bring people and organisations with diverse perspectives and influence together in a way that captures attention and ignites nature-positive action,’ Gallie says; organisations so far include Deloitte, Mastercard, UNICEF and Prince William’s Earthshot Prize. ‘Working alongside our partners and supporters, we aim to keep nature high on the global agenda by elevating her role in culture, celebrating her power and rallying collective action to protect her in a unique and unprecedented way.’

One unprecedented method is the founding of a brand new, high profile event with a name that bears a tongue-in-cheek resemblance to one of fashion and culture’s largest events of the year…

What Is The NAT Gala?

Along with the launch of THE NAT, we have news of the inaugural NAT Gala, set to take place in New York City on Sunday 21 September, ahead of the General Debate at the 2025 UN General Assembly on Tuesday 23 September. ‘Our annual NAT Gala is a first-of-its-kind event that combines the creative forces of art, fashion, film, food, and music to spotlight nature on the global stage, capturing imaginations and inspiring action,’ explains Gallie.

By ‘inspiring action’, Gallie is in part referring to the economic goal of the event: to raise $20 million to fund critical nature restoration projects across ‘Trees & Seas’, in partnership with Conservation International. ‘We’re proud to be partnering with THE NAT, raising vital funds for impactful nature restoration projects across the world,’ says M. Sanjayan, CEO of Conservation International and NATure Steward. ‘Nature underpins our economy, society, health and wellbeing. It gives so much to our global culture. Yet, for too long it’s been undervalued and is in a perilous position. THE NAT offers a large-scale, solutions-orientated approach to halt and reverse nature loss in line with our global targets.’

‘The gala will celebrate nature’s pivotal role in our lives and those who advocate for it,’ Gallie adds, ‘including honouring Sir David Attenborough and Stella McCartney for their services to nature.’

What Else Will THE NAT Do?

THE NAT marks an exciting new development in nature protection, which is heartening in a world where sustainability seems to have lost its spark. So what happens after the NAT Gala, and after the buzz has died down?

‘Nature needs our urgent help, but we are not going to fix these issues overnight,’ Gallie says. ‘THE NAT intends to be a long-term platform that will continue to amplify awareness and accelerate action for nature.’

For one, THE NAT aims to totally ‘redefine our relationship with nature’: a bold aim. While the NAT Gala will undoubtedly raise the organisation’s profile, the organisation isn’t just focussed on fundraising. In fact, THE NAT intends to ‘drive nature-positive progress across key sectors’ under its Solutions Series banner, all in support of the Global Biodiversity Plan.

One example is the fashion industry, which ‘faces enormous environmental challenges’, Gallie says. ‘Plastic fibres are polluting the ocean, toxic materials are polluting waterways and millions of tonnes of waste is produced each year. All of this comes with a huge cost to nature and people.

‘But it doesn’t have to be this way,’ Gallie adds. ‘Change will require the fashion industry to embrace more sustainable and circular models, and THE NAT is working with global decision makers to platform, scale and mainstream these innovations.’ Beyond fashion, THE NAT hopes to ‘platform innovative nature-positive solutions’ across finance and food, and ‘drive investment at scale into nature-positive solutions’.

It’s certainly disruptive, and we’re excited to see the innovations THE NAT chooses to champion. Alongside this, traditional fundraising will continue. ‘We are currently working with our NATure Stewards and Conservation International to identify the most impactful, high-integrity projects,’ Gallie says. ‘We look forward to announcing these in the coming months.’

Meanwhile, there’s no intention for the NAT Gala to be a one-off event. ‘Our plan is that the NAT Gala becomes a significant annual fundraising opportunity, while giving nature its moment in the global cultural calendar,’ Gallie says.

‘Nature needs a publicist,’ THE NAT declares. At long last, here it is.