Measuring Nature-positive Outcomes from Business Actions

The document argues that nature is the foundation of the global economy, with $44 trillion of GDP depending on its services, and that pivoting to a nature-positive pathway presents a $10.1 trillion annual commercial opportunity. It outlines a step-by-step approach for businesses to assess their impacts across four realms—freshwater, ocean, land, and atmosphere—and highlights the importance of aligning with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework's goal to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030. The briefing provides a comprehensive directory of guidance providers, data platforms, and reporting mechanisms, such as the TNFD and SBTN, to help companies move from voluntary disclosure to mandatory assessment as required by Global Biodiversity Framework Target 15.

• Nature is critical to global economic stability, with over half of the world's GDP—amounting to $44 trillion—depending moderately or highly on nature and its services. Consequently, companies that transition to a nature-positive pathway face a potential annual commercial opportunity of $10.1 trillion.
• The global goal for 'nature positive' is to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030 based on a 2020 baseline, with the aim of achieving full recovery by 2050. This goal is supported by 196 parties under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), and Target 15 of this framework specifically calls for the mandatory assessment and disclosure of business impacts on nature.
• Measuring nature is complex because it is location-specific and cannot be exchanged; for instance, a tree in the Amazon is not equivalent to one in the Boreal forests. The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) categorizes nature into four realms: land, ocean, freshwater, and atmosphere, with biodiversity serving as the essential characteristic that allows ecosystem assets to remain resilient and productive.
• Businesses are advised to adopt a phased approach to measurement, starting with screening for direct impacts at the site or project level using proximity to critical ecosystems and sector averages. As capabilities grow, they should move toward using primary on-site data and company-specific impact drivers to assess value chain activities, such as pollution, direct exploitation, and land-/sea-use change.

APA

World Economic Forum (n.d.). Measuring Nature-positive Outcomes from Business Actions. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Measuring_Nature_positive_Outcomes_from_Business_Actions_2022.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Measuring Nature-positive Outcomes from Business Actions. n.d. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Measuring_Nature_positive_Outcomes_from_Business_Actions_2022.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Measuring Nature-positive Outcomes from Business Actions |url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Measuring_Nature_positive_Outcomes_from_Business_Actions_2022.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforumndmeasuring, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Measuring Nature-positive Outcomes from Business Actions}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, url = {https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Measuring_Nature_positive_Outcomes_from_Business_Actions_2022.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }