“We need to move beyond this division between Nature and culture, and recognize that, in fact, humans and human culture is very much part of Nature.”
Tom Rowell, Palais de Tokyo
Background
Business activities impact the state of nature. This has been set out in multiple reports, including the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosure and the WWF Living Planet Reports. Both the 2015 Paris agreement and the Global Biodiversity Framework set 2030 as a critical ‘deadline’ to ensure a liveable Earth by meeting their established targets. Yet, 6 out of 9 Earth systems planetary boundaries have been breached.
Context
Business activities impact the state of nature. This has been set out in multiple reports, including the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosure and the WWF Living Planet Reports. Both the 2015 Paris agreement and the Global Biodiversity Framework set 2030 as a critical ‘deadline’ to ensure a liveable Earth by meeting their established targets. Yet, 6 out of 9 Earth systems planetary boundaries have been breached.
Understanding this begins with recognizing that on the one hand, businesses depend on ecosystem services to operate, while on the other hand, business activities adversely impact ecosystems and biodiversity. The key takeaway: Nature is one of a business’s biggest stakeholders.
The rising importance of recognizing that Nature and business are not separate is apparent in investors' increasing reliance on Environment, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) reporting and disclosure mechanisms. It is also evident in the emergence of requirements to report on climate and Nature related information in various regions (see the EU CSRD, the US SEC Final Rule 1, and ESG Finance Policies on the African Continent).
In response to these and other motivators, innovative leaders have taken the leap to formalise the role of Nature in their businesses. Our research and toolkit documents ten such organisations, showcasing their unique stories. Each has its personal motivation for onboarding Nature, generally a combination of concerns over the state of the world and excitement over the benefits that bringing Nature onboard can provide. Similarly, each business has a diverse understanding of Nature and a unique way of formalising Nature's voice. Nonetheless, our analysis of these case studies has identified four unique models for formalising Nature as a stakeholder: Nature as Inspiration, Nature as Shareholder, Nature as Advisor, and Nature as Director. These four models help to provide a conceptual basis for understanding Nature-inclusive governance.
Businesses are uniquely positioned to address environmental crises and explore solutions, given they are hotbeds of creative thinking, innovative solutions, and groundbreaking ideas. We hope that this project inspires you to envision new roles of Nature in your business and that it provides you with practical tools to do so.