NATUREFIN

NATUREFIN helps regional and local policy responsible authorities mitigate the negative impacts of economic activities on nature and biodiversity in their regions. We achieve this by improving the policy instruments (PI) that have relevance to the assessment and consideration of regional development (RD) with nature-related risks. We focus on enhancing nature & biodiversity considerations of PIs. To effectively achieve this, we plan a learning process to build capacity, sharing of experiences and good practices of authorities, and draw on EU sustainable finance (SF) regulations.

RD policies aim to foster development by enhancing sustainability, reduce environmental harm, and promote nature-positive outcomes. However, they often lack the necessary effectiveness to fully achieve these goals especially in the novel field of nature-related risk impacts and biodiversity. The project’s outcome exerts its impact through the implementation of improved policy instruments. The impact manifests on two levels:

1) private sector – companies operating in the region, will have to consider the nature-related impact of their activities in a structure that makes it easier for them to tap sustainable funding from lenders and investors. Also, if they are part of global supply chains, they can demonstrate the do no significant harm (DNSH) criteria of their activities.
2) public sector – regional authorities will be better prepared to demonstrate the nature-related impact of activities in their regions which helps them attract sustainable finance themselves, such as through the issuance of green bonds or sustainability-linked bonds (SLBs).

NATUREFIN builds individual and organizational capacity via peer learning supporting regional sustainability goals for biodiversity preservation. We aim to spur the flow of sustainable funding into regions, meeting the increasing demand from investors and banks for opportunities that yield sustainability outcomes or mitigate nature-related risks.