“Report on the Strategic Workshop on Nature-based solutions”
In June 2023, Biodiversa+ organised a strategic workshop on Business & Biodiversity, bringing together 40 participants from 28 organisations, including businesses, research institutions, biodiversity-related organisations and policy actors, to explore how the private sector can better engage with biodiversity R&I and European policy frameworks.
The workshop aimed to answer three guiding questions:
- What are the implications of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and European biodiversity policies for businesses?
- What knowledge and support do businesses need to implement these policies?
- How can businesses engage in European research and innovation for the sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity?
Through expert inputs, collaborative sessions and panel discussions, participants identified key knowledge gaps, challenges, and opportunities to strengthen cooperation between research and the private sector.
Key takeaways
- Rising awareness & capacity needs: participants stressed the need for clearer communication tools that translate complex biodiversity issues into business-relevant language. There is a requirement for improved awareness of the GBF and European biodiversity policies within the private sector, alongside more effective education and consumer-awareness initiatives, including the role of certification, labelling, and behavioural change.
- Navigating a fragmented tool landscape: businesses face significant challenges in navigating the numerous emerging biodiversity tools, metrics, and frameworks. Participants stressed the need to develop harmonised, transparent, and comparable metrics. Furthermore, it is essential to build a clear roadmap for businesses on where to start and how to mobilise the right expertise, while improving monitoring systems with meaningful indicators and better geographic information.
- Opportunities for research & innovation: participants identified multiple avenues where Biodiversa+ and the research community can contribute, such as developing ecological accounting approaches to make indicators actionable for long-term governance. Innovation should also focus on designing “positive” and action-oriented tools for businesses that show improvement rather than just risk. The partnership could also support pilot projects and twinning activities between researchers and companies, while creating knowledge-sharing platforms and communities of practice.
- Strengthening science-business collaboration: panel discussions highlighted the need to build trust between businesses and researchers to ensure scientific findings are effectively integrated into corporate strategy. Establishing national and regional knowledge hubs can help gather companies and build their capacity to address biodiversity-related complexities. To facilitate this, a shared glossary and conceptual base aligned with the GBF must be developed, alongside improved methods for disseminating research results to business audience.
Perspectives for Biodiversa+
These findings will inform the update of the Biodiversa+ Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA). The Partnership will continue to engage the private sector through targeted research calls and upcoming initiatives, including by collaborating with the EU Business@Biodiversity Platform and through support for the IPBES Business and Biodiversity Assessment.
