Investing in ecological infrastructure has been an emerging area of interest and work within South Africa over the last few years. Numerous stakeholders, including SANBI, have been drawing lessons from projects, programmes and research related to maintaining and restoring ecosystems for the provision of ecosystem services which also support socio-economic development in South Africa. Through this process, our collective thinking around investing in ecological infrastructure has become clearer. The purpose of this framework is to guide action and support collaboration in investing in ecological infrastructure through deepening the understanding of the field, and distilling a set of key starting points and principles to guide action. This is not a static framework. As more projects get underway, as planning and policy for ecological infrastructure emerge, as further dialogues are held at a sub-national, national and international level, our understanding of investing in ecological infrastructure will evolve.