Area of Focus: Nature Conservation

Nature provides immeasurable value to people and the economy, with about half of the global GDP dependent upon functioning ecosystems. Yet wildlife populations have decreased by almost 70 percent since 1970, and one million species of plants and animals are at risk of extinction. The urgency to protect and restore nature is high.

However, many high-quality conservation efforts remain inadequately funded, and most of the services they provide beyond carbon sequestration have no monetization pathway at all. Equally, companies and other market participants lack structured, auditable channels to invest in nature.

Verra developed the Nature Framework to drive finance to critical nature conservation and restoration activities. The Nature Framework encompasses concepts and core principles for activities leading to biodiversity outcomes and the generation of Nature Credits, along with methodological steps for quantifying biodiversity outcomes.

Using the Nature Framework, project proponents can verify biodiversity outcomes and issue tradable Nature Credits as standalone assets. Companies and investors can buy Nature Credits to support high-quality projects and local communities while derisking their value chains and contributing to a nature-positive world. Nature Credits represent positive investments in nature and may not be used for offsetting.

Nature Credits will therefore contribute to Target 19 of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), which calls for the mobilization of $200 billion per year for biodiversity from all sources, including through innovative schemes such as biodiversity credits with environmental safeguards. Projects certified with the Nature Framework will contribute directly to SDGs 14 (Life below Water) and 15 (Life on Land), and–given nature’s inextricable links to climate–SDG 13 (Climate Action).