The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework emphasizes the need for a significant increase in finance to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030, with Target 19 setting a goal of mobilizing at least US$200 billion per year for biodiversity, including US$30 billion in international finance annually. This target is recognized as both an environmental and economic imperative, as over half of global GDP depends on nature and its ecosystem services. The report highlights that investment should extend beyond conservation to business operations and value chains that reduce nature pressures, such as improving resource efficiency and adopting circular practices.
COP17 should prioritize practical outcomes to unlock investable finance, focusing on five key areas:
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Create investable national pipelines and enabling frameworks: Encourage Parties to align National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans with national financing plans, identifying priority investment themes and delivery models. Enabling frameworks should include clearer land tenure, predictable permitting, robust safeguards, and streamlined project-development processes.
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De-risk private investment through blended finance and guarantees: Support the deployment of guarantees, risk-sharing facilities, and first-loss capital, particularly in emerging markets, to improve risk-adjusted returns for investors. Address regulatory barriers that constrain private capital, such as certain aspects of the Basel Framework.
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Align financial flows and incentives to make nature-positive investment competitive: Accelerate alignment of public and private financial flows by redirecting nature-negative incentives and strengthening positive incentives for conservation, restoration, and sustainable use. Ensure reforms include finance roadmaps and just transition pathways.
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Strengthen measurement, integrity and data infrastructure for investable outcomes: Promote interoperable measurement, reporting, and verification approaches consistent with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Invest in public-good nature data to reduce transaction costs and build market confidence. Standard accounting, reporting, and disclosure methodologies are critical to mitigate greenwashing risks.
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Scale innovative finance instruments, including biodiversity credit markets, with integrity: Facilitate demand for biodiversity credits through value-chain projects, producer participation, high-integrity standards, market governance, comparable units, policy and regulatory signals, legal certainty regarding credit ownership, market infrastructure, and public and philanthropic catalytic capital.
The report concludes that business needs policy certainty, investable pipelines, de-risking mechanisms, high-integrity metrics, and capacity building to scale investment in nature. Key references and further details are provided for each recommendation.
