The European Commission, through the European Green Deal and the new Biodiversity Strategy, is promoting the incorporation of biodiversity at the heart of all EU policies and is leading the debate at international level within the framework of the negotiations on the future new global framework for biodiversity post-2020 of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

This commitment to mainstreaming biodiversity in EU policies so that it is no longer ignored in decision-making is translating into a tightening of regulatory requirements in this area and greater demands on the business sector in terms of transparency. Similarly, the financial sector is progressively increasing its demand for information on the environmental performance of companies and, in particular, on biodiversity.

As the main users of natural resources, companies must assume their responsibility and promote models that translate into a positive impact on the natural environment by reducing their footprint and adopting measures that are favourable to nature.

In addition to this requirement, the way in which companies measure and report their impact on society is undergoing a progressive transformation. Specifically, this is evolving from reporting information on material consumption, emissions or effluents to reporting information on how they measure and evaluate their impact on people and the natural environment in economic terms. 

In this context, a good understanding of the relationship between business and nature is key. A clear understanding of how and to what extent development activities impact on nature and how they depend on the resources and services it provides, exploring how these benefits might vary under different management scenarios, and integrating this information into decisions in a practical way will contribute to an improvement in the state of biodiversity and human well-being by motivating more sustainable, cost-effective and positive decisions and investments with nature and for all.   

This is aided by the natural capital approach, which in recent years is gaining traction by offering a holistic approach to the relationship between development activities and nature in ecological, social and economic terms. This differential approach provides tools that facilitate the quantification of the impact that businesses have on the natural environment and how they depend on it, as well as the opportunities derived from an appropriate management of natural capital through economic metrics (natural capital valuation). It also provides insight into how the relationship between organisations and nature has evolved over the years (natural capital accounting) to understand the contribution nature makes to the real economy.

In order to facilitate a better understanding within companies of the implications of managing their relationship with the natural environment and the opportunities arising from it, Nature-Incore offers a guidance and training framework for employees interested in introducing or deepening their knowledge of the natural capital approach. The programme will be adapted to the needs, knowledge and application requirements of each participant.