Photo: Peryn22/Shutterstock.com
Nature is essential to the future of the planet, but natural resources are being used up faster than the Earth can replace them. All businesses depend on and impact natural capital, therefore, 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.
In response to these challenges, We Value Nature seeks to change business perception 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 process to boost uptake of the use of natural capital thinking, accounting, nature-based solutions, green infrastructures and to 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 comprises a programme of activities and collaboration with relevant networks and platforms across the EU. The programme includes work to identify and address key barriers and opportunities to business uptake of natural capital thinking and related training.
We Value Nature has 3 specific objectives:
- To create, expand and support a Valuing Nature Network of Networks, with effective engagement of key European, global, national, thematic, sector and Research & Innovation networks in business decision-making.
- To develop and implement a robust EU Valuing Nature Programme that invigorates the Valuing Nature Network of Networks, accelerates integration of natural capital in business decision-making and stimulates investment in natural capital related business.
- To develop an effective governance and engagement model and viable business model for a longer Valuing Nature Network of Networks and/or EU Valuing Nature Programme beyond the end of the project.
The IUCN European Regional Office is involved as a partner in this project and will focus on active monitoring of activities results, and success stories from the We Value Nature project, stakeholder engagement and awareness raising on the value of nature for business, exploring new partnerships for mainstreaming natural capital as well communicating results from other relevant projects and initiatives in Europe and internationally.
In order to maximise the project’s impact, the IUCN European Regional Office will support the development and publication of a series of briefings on key topics related to integration of natural capital in business decision-making (e.g. water, energy, climate change, biodiversity, nature based solutions), presenting the business case, key facts, quotes from business leaders; developing and publishing briefs for the public sector and creating and curating a news feed available to network members and businesses.
Photo: @EC
We Value Nature has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 821303. It is coordinated by Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW)/Natural Capital Coalition (NCC), and works with the partners: the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Oppla. The project runs from November 2018 to October 2021.
For more information, please visit the We Value Nature website, https://wevaluenature.eu/ or contact Chantal Van Ham, EU Programme Manager Nature-based Solutions, IUCN European Regional Office (chantal.vanham@iucn.org) or Óscar Rico, Junior Natural Capital Officer (oscar.rico@iucn.org)
