The Nature Brief for Business.

The Big Picture

Nature is advancing as both a risk and an opportunity across global markets. Financial mechanisms for biodiversity are scaling, new national targets are reinforcing commitments, and nature-based carbon strategies are being rapidly tested. With biodiversity credits, nature tech, and ESG scrutiny expanding, the market is evolving faster than ever.

Key movements this week:

• Financial mechanisms are shifting from talk to transaction, with new biodiversity-linked deals emerging weekly.
• Nature and net-zero strategies are colliding with ecological realities and scrutiny over environmental tradeoffs.
• Biodiversity credits are diversifying, testing credibility across forest, marine, and urban domains.

Market Essentials

Finance: Nature investments grow, but scrutiny deepens.

• Norway’s sovereign wealth fund has announced plans to engage Amazon-exposed mining companies like Rio Tinto and South32, rather than divesting from them. The move reflects growing institutional pressure to manage ecological risks while maintaining shareholder influence.
• Corporations are increasingly acting on nature-related risks following a doubling in shareholder proposals targeting environmental concerns in the 2025 proxy season. This signals a continued rise in investor influence, even amid US pushback on ESG initiatives.
• US-based SLM Partners has reported a 24% increase in assets under management last year, focusing on regenerative agriculture and forestry. The expansion points to growing appetite for natural capital exposure in sustainable investment portfolios.

Targets: Countries commit to biodiversity and financing goals

• Thailand has launched its second Biodiversity Finance Plan (BFP), aiming to mobilise $200 million for nature-positive initiatives between 2023 and 2027. This demonstrates a strong national-level effort to direct capital toward biodiversity outcomes.
• Morocco has officially designated eight marine protected areas to help meet its goal of protecting 10% of national marine zones by 2030. The move supports fish populations and integrates new coastal zone management legislation with global biodiversity pledges.

Trend Watch.

Biodiversity Credits: Scaling across regions and ecosystems.

• A reforestation initiative in Mexico is seeking to generate biodiversity credits alongside carbon credits across 10,000 hectares. This shows bundling environmental outcomes can attract broader financing and increase project viability.
• A new Seatrees and Ocean Ledger project in Kenya has launched with the aim of generating 300,000 marine biodiversity credits over ten years by planting more than 775,000 mangrove trees. The initiative highlights the expanding application of biodiversity credit markets into marine and blue carbon systems.
• A US timberland investment firm has signed what is claimed to be the country’s first ever offtake agreement for voluntary biodiversity credits from a project in Louisiana. This deal marks a pivotal step in building a voluntary biodiversity credit market in the United States.

Nature Tech: Investment flows into forest risk and monitoring.

• OroraTech has raised €37 million to scale its wildfire management and risk assessment technology. The funding highlights growing interest in nature tech solutions addressing climate-linked disasters.
• GIST Impact has added forest risk datasets to its platform to help banks and asset managers evaluate deforestation risks. This addition is in partnership with Global Canopy, reflecting the increasing role of nature data tools in enabling sustainable finance decisions.

Nature and Net Zero: Nature-based solutions central, but contested.

• Taiwan’s agriculture ministry is incorporating carbon sinks from nature-based solutions into its net-zero roadmap for 2040. However, some experts warn that the approach may harm biodiversity if poorly implemented.
• Microsoft has committed to sourcing 18 million tonnes of nature-based carbon removal credits through a new agreement. This large-scale commitment underscores the growing corporate demand for nature-based solutions to meet net-zero targets.
• A WWF report has found that at least 7% of energy transition mineral (ETM) extraction sites overlap with Key Biodiversity Areas, covering land twice the size of Belgium. The findings raise concerns that the clean energy transition may threaten global conservation efforts.

Quick Hits.

Policy:

• Nations agree to phase out hazardous industrial chemicals under Stockholm Convention, but exemptions raise concerns.
• Record 542 river barriers removed in Europe in 2024, improving biodiversity corridors.
• UK reopens Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme after criticism.

Investment:

• Triodos and STOXX launch Impact Investing Index targeting nature-aligned portfolios.
• NGO Global Witness accuses Santander of financing deforestation-linked agribusiness.
• Brazil’s proposed $125B forest fund draws concern over prioritizing investor returns over protection.

People:

• Indigenous leaders from 20 Brazilian ethnic groups meet to influence UNESCO biosphere governance.
• Bangladesh wetland project focuses on local co-management and ecosystem restoration.
• Netflix and Meta’s carbon credits spark dispute with Maasai herders, revealing risk exposure in voluntary nature markets.

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