The European Commission has provided over €2 million over the next three years to support a new collaborative campaign, We Value Nature.
The campaign has been launched during natural capital week in Paris by: The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Oppla.
All businesses depend on and impact natural capital. Through understanding and considering the risks and opportunities created by nature, businesses can make better decisions that benefit themselves, society and the planet as a whole.
Many businesses already value nature through approaches such as: Natural Capital Assessment, Natural Capital Accounting, Nature Based Solutions, green infrastructure and related ecosystem-based solutions. We Value Nature seeks to change business perceptions and make valuing nature the new normal for businesses across Europe.
We Value Nature will encourage businesses to embed the value of nature into their decision making and adopt the Natural Capital Protocol, the internationally standardised framework for the identification, measurement and valuation of natural capital impacts and dependencies to inform private sector decision making.
We Value Nature will work with the Natural Capital Coalition to ensure that leading organisations, practitioners, academics and experts avoid the duplication of activities, benefit from one another’s best practice, plug knowledge gaps, share data and IP where possible, and work collaboratively to achieve a shared vision.
We Value Nature has launched an initial website at www.wevaluenature.eu
Interested parties can register and complete a survey, which will help shape the direction of the project by mapping existing stakeholders and activities.
Partner Quotes
Guy Duke, Project Director, said: "This is a hugely exciting and timely initiative with significant financial backing from the EU. Scaling integration of natural capital into business decision-making is vital if we are to meet sustainable development goals. We look forward to working with existing networks and platforms and above all with businesses, both large and small, and across all sectors, to make a real difference over the next 3 years."
Peter Bakker, President and CEO, WBCSD, said: “Over many years, WBCSD has worked with key pioneers and experts to help establish frameworks, tools and processes needed for valuing impacts and dependencies on nature. We’re now entering the capacity building phase to support companies as they use the Natural Capital Protocol along with complementary approaches. To do so requires technical expertise and understanding. I look forward to strengthening the collaboration between organizations, and taking corporate natural capital performance to the next level.”
Gerard Bos, Director Business and Biodiversity at IUCN, said: "We Value Nature ambitions to be a movement leveraging on all existing networks and coalitions overcoming the current barriers leading to a wider uptake by business to value nature and integrate this in their decision making. IUCN is proud to accompany and facilitate this effort in partnership with many others."
Richard Spencer, ICAEW Head of Sustainability, said: “The last few years has seen considerable expansion of natural capital as a concept and its rapid adoption by business. However we still need to accelerate this change in business attitude beyond these first movers. This project is about achieving just that, to gain a step change in the natural capital movement, with the Coalition at its heart, and to underpin its success.”
Paul Mahony, General Manager, Oppla, said: “As a young and ambitious business valuing nature is both a moral and strategic choice for Oppla. We’re delighted to collaboratively launch We Value Nature and help support more businesses make decisions which benefit themselves, society and the planet as a whole.”
Notes
About ICAEW
ICAEW is one of the oldest and largest professional accountancy bodies in the world. It is a UK-based international organization that connects over 150,000 chartered accountants. It is also a member of Chartered Accountants Worldwide, which brings together 11 chartered accountancy bodies, representing over 1.6 members and students globally. Its vision is a world of strong economies. In terms of natural capital this means prosperous and resilient economies, all achieved within what nature can provide.
About WBCSD
WBCSD is a global, CEO-led organization of over 200 leading businesses working together to accelerate the transition to a sustainable world. We help make our member companies more successful and sustainable by focusing on the maximum positive impact for shareholders, the environment and societies. Our member companies come from all business sectors and all major economies, representing a combined revenue of more than USD $8.5 trillion and 19 million employees. Our global network of almost 70 national business councils gives our members unparalleled reach across the globe. WBCSD is uniquely positioned to work with member companies along and across value chains to deliver impactful business solutions to the most challenging sustainability issues. Together, we are the leading voice of business for sustainability: united by our vision of a world where more than 9 billion people are all living well and within the boundaries of our planet, by 2050.
About IUCN
IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together. Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,300 Member organisations and some 10,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards. IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous peoples organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development. Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being.
About Oppla
Oppla is a knowledge marketplace; a place where the latest thinking on ecosystem services, natural capital and nature-based solutions is brought together.
Its purpose is to simplify how we share, obtain and create knowledge to better manage our environment.
Oppla is an open platform that is designed for people with diverse needs and interests - from science, policy and practice; public, private and voluntary sectors; organisations large and small, as well as individuals. All are welcome and have a part to play in our community.
About The Natural Capital Coalition
The Natural Capital Coalition is a unique global multi-stakeholder collaboration that brings together leading initiatives and organizations to harmonize approaches to natural capital. The Coalition's vision is a world that conserves and enhances natural capital. It was founded in 2012 and hosted by ICAEW.