Nature Positive
Nature is a vital ingredient in ensuring healthy people, healthy business and a healthy planet. Yet it faces challenges such as mass extinction rates and pressure on land, water, oceans, climate and biodiversity to feed and house 9 billion people by 2050. Our Nature Action work moves the focus to the global commons and the biosphere, ensuring efforts to drive action across government, business, and civil society, including the development of science-based targets, business guidance for consistent and credible Nature Positive business actions such as nature-based solutions. We support members and engage and act directly on the fast-moving nature agenda.
The challenge
Major reports are sounding the alarm: urgent action is required to halt the loss of nature. Nature and natural ecosystems provide the foundation for economic growth, human health and prosperity. Land-use change, pollution, the exploitation of natural resources and climate change are the biggest drivers of nature loss. To address these challenges, guidance for credible Nature-Positive business contributions and the development of collective action to execute credible, high-quality Nature-based Solutions are critical.
The business case
Loss of nature and the climate emergency are increasingly impacting business performance due to dependencies which manifest throughout the value chain. Consumers, stakeholders and governments are increasingly expecting business to act. WBCSD supports members in setting ambitious, science-informed nature goals and targets and engage with the emerging accountability system for nature to report on progress. Understanding that nature action is no longer just a case of risk management, leading companies are proactively taking transformative actions to halt and reverse nature loss for business and society.
The solution
The direction of travel is: zero net loss of nature from 2020; net positive by 2030; full recovery by 2050. Companies must be prepared to show action, adopt nature-based solutions and science-based targets for nature, and commit to an apex goal for nature. This cross-sector project supports members as they engage in and act on this agenda while building business alignment, solutions and collective action in three key socio-economic systems: food, land; infrastructure and the built environment; and energy. Together with members and key stakeholders, the project (1) creates opportunities for engagement and starts readying members to implement frameworks in development such as science-based targets for nature through collaboration with the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN) and Taskforce on Nature-Related disclosures (TNFD), (2) identifies sectoral narratives and roadmaps for action to nature positive, including nature-based solutions and (3) elevates members solutions and business leadership in key Nature and Climate events with consistent policy enablers.
Publication
14 May 2024
Integrating nature: assessing interconnected risks in the food retail ecosystem
SDG Impact
In addition to SDG 15 which aims to protect, restore and promote the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss, our work on biodiversity and ecosystems is part of many other SDGs and associated targets.
