Banking on Nature's Assets

This report advocates for Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) to systematically integrate multiple ecosystem services into their core operations—specifically strategic direction, advisory services, and investments—to better align economic development with climate and environmental goals.

• The UN-led Millennium Ecosystem Assessment found that two-thirds of the 24 audited global ecosystem services have been degraded over the last 50 years, which is currently undermining development progress.
• Traditional development planning has focused on provisioning services with market value while ignoring regulating services, leading to trade-offs such as increased shrimp production from aquaculture causing the degradation of mangrove-provided storm protection and fish spawning grounds, and dam construction causing the loss of downstream wetland purification and flood protection.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Banking on Nature's Assets. https://www.wri.org/research/banking-natures-assets

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Banking on Nature's Assets. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/banking-natures-assets.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Banking on Nature's Assets |url=https://www.wri.org/research/banking-natures-assets |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendbanking, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Banking on Nature's Assets}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/banking-natures-assets}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }