Learn the foundations

Nature underpins the global economy – every business depends on it. Societies cannot survive, let alone prosper, without the essential services provided by nature, including a stable climate and functioning ecosystems. 

The challenge 

Humanity is consuming double the resources that the Earth can regenerate each year. Associated land- and sea-use change as well as pollution and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are driving record levels of nature loss, resulting in one of the greatest risks we face today. 

The business risk 

Nature loss is already impacting business, and will pose increasing risks overtime. Over half of global GDP is moderately or highly dependent on nature and its services. By 2050, a decline in ecosystem services such as pollination, water yield, coastal protection, carbon storage could result in losses of about 10% of global GDP. More than 50% of the market value of companies listed on major stock exchanges is exposed to financial risk through ecosystem disruption, such as a car manufacturer dependent on water for lithium extraction. 

The opportunity 

A transition to a nature-positive economy can unlock business opportunities. By 2050, enhanced nature stewardship – such as improving pollinator habitats, sustaining marine fish stocks, managing forests sustainably, increasing carbon storage through reforestation and avoided degradation – could add about US$11.3 billion to global GDP per year. 

Nature comprises all living plants, animals and fungi and their interactions with other living or non–living entities and processes across four realms. 

Nature realms 

Nature realms – land, ocean, freshwater and atmosphere – include ecosystems (or biomes) such as tropical forests, grasslands, coral reefs, rivers and wetlands.  

Ecosystems 

Ecosystems are natural assets that provide ecosystem services people and business rely on, such as climate regulation, freshwater for drinking and irrigation and pollination. 

Biological diversity

Biological diversity – usually referred to as biodiversity – is the key indicator of the health of a system, and refers to the variability among living organisms, within species (genetic diversity), between species (species diversity), and ecosystems (ecosystem diversity).

To learn more about the interconnected components of nature, please refer to the Glossary page

The Global Assessment on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services published in 2019 by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) identified five direct drivers of change in nature, by scale of global impact.

The atmosphere, one of nature’s four realms, links climate and nature: continuous exchanges of greenhouse gases, water, and energy between air, land, freshwater, and ocean explain why nature regulates climate, and in turn why climate change drives nature loss. This explains why reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) while restoring nature and protecting biodiversity are mutually supporting goals: progress on one strengthens the other. 

Climate change cannot be mitigated without taking action to repair and restore natural systems, returning them to healthy and resilient states. There are solutions that can deliver positive impact for climate, nature and equity simultaneously – Nature-based Solutions (NbS) offer a powerful example. However, despite the strong societal case for action on NbS, progress from the private sector has lagged. As pressure continues to mount on companies, pushing them to take action on climate change, nature loss and inequality, nature action offers an important solution set: more than 1/3 of all climate mitigation actions that must be taken to meet the Paris Agreement’s 1.5ºC target can be provided by Nature-based Solutions. At present, however, US$5tn per year of private finance flows have a direct negative impact on nature. 

Stakeholders widely acknowledge the term “nature positive” as a global goal to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030 and achieve full recovery by 2050, as captured in the mission statement of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. 

Individual companies contribute to this shared goal by putting in place a nature approach (or strategy) that contributes towards nature-positive outcomes across the spheres of control and influence, from direct operations (e.g., sites) to value chains and adjacent landscapes (e.g., priority locations of biodiversity importance). 

In 2022, WBCSD launched a series of system and sector-specific Roadmaps to Nature Positive. These Roadmaps are developed through a collaborative process, bringing together peers from the same sector or economic system to define a shared agenda and the activities that will accelerate credible nature-positive action and accountability. The ACT-D High-level Actions on Nature framework (Assess, Commit, Transform and Disclose) provides the foundation for the Roadmaps. It was developed by WBCSD, Business for Nature (BfN), the Capitals Coalition, the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN), the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF).  

More recently, WBCSD supported the Business for Nature coalition with the development of the Nature Strategy Handbook, a practical guide to support all businesses in developing a nature strategy. The Handbook builds on guidance from the ACT-D High-Level Business Actions on Nature to show the key components of a credible nature strategy, taking into account the requirements of various frameworks, guidance and regulations. 

To learn more about the Roadmaps to Nature Positive, please refer to the Methodology page.