Nature-Positive Strategies

The concept of "nature-positive" has emerged as the organising ambition for corporate action on biodiversity, paralleling the "net zero" concept in climate. A nature-positive trajectory means that by 2030, nature is recovering rather than declining: biodiversity is increasing, ecosystems are being restored, and the rate of nature loss has been reversed. This ambition is embedded in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework's 2050 vision of "living in harmony with nature" and its 2030 mission of halting and reversing biodiversity loss. For companies, pursuing a nature-positive strategy means adopting an integrated approach that applies the mitigation hierarchy, invests in nature-based solutions, and commits to measurable targets for reducing negative impacts and enhancing positive contributions to nature.

The Mitigation Hierarchy for Nature-Positive Outcomes

A credible nature-positive strategy begins with the mitigation hierarchy - the sequential framework of avoid, minimize, restore, and offset. Nature-positive is not achieved by offsetting without addressing avoidance and minimisation first. The Science Based Targets Network (SBTN) makes this clear in its guidance: the first priority in any nature strategy is to reduce negative impacts on nature through operational changes, before considering restoration or compensatory actions.

For a company pursuing a nature-positive strategy, applying the mitigation hierarchy in practice means:

Avoid: Not developing new assets in or near critical habitats or KBAs; not sourcing from suppliers who are actively deforesting; not using chemicals that are demonstrably toxic to key species groups
Minimize: Reducing land footprint through operational efficiency; switching to regenerative agriculture practices that maintain soil biodiversity; reducing water withdrawal through recycling and efficiency measures; reducing light and noise pollution near sensitive habitats
Restore: Rehabilitating previously degraded habitats on or near company land; restoring riparian corridors adjacent to operations; funding community-led restoration programmes in key sourcing geographies
Transform: Some nature-positive frameworks add a fourth step, "Transform," acknowledging that beyond individual site-level actions, companies must engage with systemic change - supporting policy reform, landscape-level conservation partnerships, and the transition to sustainable production and consumption systems

Nature-Based Solutions

Nature-based solutions (NbS) are actions that protect, sustainably manage, or restore natural or modified ecosystems to address societal challenges including biodiversity loss, climate change, and water security. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) defines nature-based solutions as "actions to protect, conserve, restore, sustainably use and manage natural or modified terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems which address social, economic and environmental challenges effectively and adaptively."

For companies, nature-based solutions represent both a tool for reducing their own nature impacts and a category of business opportunity. NbS categories relevant to corporate nature strategies include:

Ecosystem restoration: Reforestation, wetland restoration, grassland recovery, and mangrove rehabilitation programmes
Protected area management: Supporting the management of existing protected areas or conservancies adjacent to operations or in key sourcing geographies
Sustainable agriculture and forestry: Agroforestry, regenerative farming, and sustainable forestry practices that maintain or enhance biodiversity while maintaining productivity
Green infrastructure: Urban green spaces, green roofs, wildlife corridors, and constructed wetlands integrated into urban development and industrial facilities

Nature-Positive vs. Net Zero: Key Similarities and Differences

Nature-positive and net zero share a common logic: establish a baseline, set a target trajectory, reduce impacts over time, and compensate for residual impacts through high-quality actions elsewhere. However, nature-positive is more complex than net zero in several respects. First, it is multidimensional: biodiversity cannot be reduced to a single metric like CO2 equivalents. Second, it is highly localised: biodiversity outcomes depend on where actions take place. Third, it requires consideration of both the state of nature (species, ecosystems) and the pressures on nature (land use, pollution, climate). The SBTN provides the most rigorous methodological framework for translating the nature-positive ambition into company-level science-based targets.

Ecological Restoration in Practice

Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) aims to restore 1 billion hectares of degraded land globally. For companies, ecological restoration is increasingly a component of both nature-positive strategies and regulatory compliance (for example, requirements to restore habitats disturbed by mining operations).

Effective ecological restoration requires understanding the historical ecological reference state for the target ecosystem, selecting appropriate native species for replanting or reintroduction, managing threats (invasive species, continued human pressure) that would prevent recovery, and monitoring outcomes against defined success criteria over time. Restoration success is measured not just by vegetation cover but by the return of ecological function - including species diversity, soil biotic communities, and ecosystem service delivery.

Analogy: Restoration as Ecological Medicine

Think of a degraded ecosystem as a patient recovering from a serious illness. You cannot simply apply a quick fix and declare success: you need to address the root cause of the illness (the ongoing pressure that caused degradation), support the patient's own recovery mechanisms (natural regeneration processes), and monitor progress over time. Planting trees where a forest was cleared does not guarantee ecological recovery if the trees are a monoculture of one species, if the soil biota that support the forest have been depleted, or if the pressures that caused deforestation (such as encroachment or burning) are not addressed. High-quality restoration is a long-term commitment, not a one-time intervention.

Corporate Nature-Positive Commitments

A growing number of companies have made explicit nature-positive commitments. The Business for Nature coalition's "Make it Mandatory" campaign advocates for governments to require all companies to assess, disclose, and reduce their nature-related impacts. The Nature Action 100 initiative engages companies in sectors most responsible for and most dependent on nature, with investor signatories representing over USD 24 trillion in assets pressing companies on biodiversity commitments.

Key elements of a credible corporate nature-positive commitment include:

A time-bound commitment to halt and reverse nature loss within a defined scope and timeframe
Science-based targets developed using SBTN methodology for land, freshwater, and ocean
An implementation roadmap with milestones and accountability mechanisms
Integration of nature into core business strategy, capital allocation decisions, and executive remuneration
Transparent annual reporting against targets using TNFD-aligned metrics

Example: A Nature-Positive Strategy for a Consumer Goods Company

A consumer goods company with significant agricultural supply chain exposure develops a nature-positive strategy with four components: (1) Avoid and Minimize - requiring all suppliers in high-risk commodity categories to achieve certification against recognised sustainability standards by 2025 and committing to no new sourcing from suppliers who are actively deforesting; (2) Restore - investing USD 50 million in landscape restoration in five key sourcing geographies over five years, through partnerships with local NGOs and communities; (3) Transform - engaging with governments and industry coalitions in sourcing regions to advocate for stronger forest protection policies and sustainable land-use planning; (4) Measure and Disclose - publishing annual TNFD-aligned disclosures showing progress against nature-positive targets, including area of habitat protected and restored, percentage of certified sustainable sourcing, and biodiversity metrics for direct operational sites. The company commits to achieving SBTN-validated targets within three years.

Key Takeaways

1Nature-positive means that by 2030, biodiversity is recovering rather than declining, a goal embedded in the Kunming-Montreal GBF's 2030 mission to halt and reverse biodiversity loss
2The mitigation hierarchy (avoid, minimize, restore, and for systemic change, transform) is the foundation of any credible nature-positive strategy, and offsetting cannot substitute for the prior steps
3Nature-based solutions (NbS) are actions that protect, sustainably manage, or restore ecosystems and serve as both a tool for reducing corporate nature impacts and a category of business opportunity
4Nature-positive is more complex than net zero because biodiversity is multidimensional, highly localised, and requires consideration of both the state of nature and the pressures acting on it
5Credible corporate nature-positive commitments combine science-based targets (using SBTN methodology), implementation roadmaps, executive accountability, and transparent TNFD-aligned reporting

Nature-Positive Strategies