The Chairperson’s Guide to Valuing Nature

The document argues that nature is the foundation of all economic output, with approximately half of global GDP depending moderately or highly on it. It urges corporate boards to move beyond net-zero targets to 'nature positive' goals—where nature is protected, restored, and regenerated. The guide outlines a five-step process for boards: understanding nature's importance, taking stock of current activities, locating interfaces with nature, identifying next steps, and communicating with stakeholders. It details physical risks (commodity, supply chain, and business continuity), transition risks (policy, legal, and reputational), and opportunities for value creation through resource efficiency, new nature-related products, and environmental markets.

• Economic dependency on nature is vast, with approximately 50% of global gross domestic product (GDP) depending moderately or highly on nature, and the remaining half unable to be sustained without it.
• The concept of 'nature positive' is presented as a new business benchmark, similar to net-zero emissions targets, where the goal is for nature to be protected, restored, and regenerated rather than degraded.
• Nature loss creates significant physical risks for businesses, including commodity risks for those reliant on direct extraction, supply chain performance risks for indirect dependencies, and business continuity risks from acute events like flooding.
• Transition risks are increasing due to a rising trend in environmental policy and regulation, including the Kunming Declaration and the Leaders Pledge for Nature, both aiming for nature-positive outcomes by 2030.
• There is an emerging risk of retrospective director liability for environmental damage, drawing parallels to historical asbestos litigation where directors were held accountable for foreseeable impacts.
• Valuing nature offers financial opportunities, such as reduced costs of capital through sustainable financing and new revenue streams from pharmaceutical research, eco-tourism, and circular business models.
• Environmental markets for carbon, biodiversity, and water provide ways to monetize nature-based solutions, with nature-based carbon credits potentially reaching $50 billion annually by 2030.
• The guide recommends the TNFD LEAP framework (Locate, Evaluate, Assess, Prepare) as a process for businesses to identify their interfaces with nature and report on related risks and opportunities.
• Engagement with indigenous and local communities is critical, as they possess essential ecological knowledge and their lack of involvement can put broader corporate strategies at risk.

APA

World Economic Forum (2023). The Chairperson’s Guide to Valuing Nature. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Chairpersons_Guide_2023.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. The Chairperson’s Guide to Valuing Nature. 2023. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Chairpersons_Guide_2023.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=The Chairperson’s Guide to Valuing Nature |date=January 2023 |url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Chairpersons_Guide_2023.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2023chairpersons, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{The Chairperson’s Guide to Valuing Nature}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2023}, month = jan, url = {https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Chairpersons_Guide_2023.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }