GoNaturePositive!

How can we build an economy that works with nature rather than against it? Last year, GoNaturePositive! published a concept note exploring the foundations of a nature-positive economy, sparking conversations about the role of businesses, policymakers, and communities in driving this shift. Now, we’re passing the mic to the next generation. In this three-part blog series, "Youth Voices for a Nature-Positive Economy," students from Trinity College Dublin share their reflections, critiques, and insights on our Concept Note. Their perspectives highlight the challenges, opportunities, and bold ideas that could shape a more nature-positive future. We’re excited to kick off the series with the first blog written by Akinwande Majola, who was selected by our expert panel from outstanding student submissions. We believe in amplifying diverse voices in the conversation about how corporate accountability, and citizen engagement can work together to build a more sustainable future. What integrated changes do you believe are most critical for transitioning to a nature-positive economy? Share your thoughts in the comments below! Read the full article on our website: https://lnkd.in/eaPMQ4Kj _____ #GoNP! #GoNaturePositive! #YouthVoices #NaturePositive #StudentVoices #NaturePositiveEconomy #NatureBasedSolutions #Sustainability #BiodiversityConservation #ClimateAction? Siobhan McQuaid Isobel Fletcher Daniela Rizzi Niak Sian Koh Marianne Zandersen NetworkNature EU Jane Stout

???? Today is #WorldWildlifeDay - a day to celebrate the remarkable diversity of flora and fauna in our Urban Nature Plans+ cities! ?? PARIS NATURE - Ville de Paris - Espaces verts et environnement is a city where nature thrives within a dense urban fabric. With over 100,000 street trees, two vast forests and 531 parks, it is committed to greening its spaces. By 2026, Paris aims to plant 170,000 more trees and create 100 hectares of new green spaces, including urban forests and greener schoolyards. ??? Nestled between the Mediterranean Sea and the Serra de Collserola, Barcelona Regional is promoting biodiversity through its Natura Plan 2030. With projects such as the Pla?a de les Glòries park, the city is improving its green infrastructure and promoting ecological resilience. ?? Burgas seamlessly blends urban life with unspoilt nature. An important stopover for migratory birds, it protects 20% of its land as nature reserves. The Strandzha Nature Park and Burgas Mineral Springs underline its commitment to sustainability. ?? Stadt Mannheim prioritises rewilding and species protection. With 50% of its area dedicated to natural spaces - including 4,800 hectares of nature reserves - the city actively integrates nature into urban planning. New green spaces, such as the Spinelli site, provide important habitats for rare species. ?? Belgrade maintains its ecological richness, with 16% of its territory covered by forests and 15% by green spaces. While the city faces challenges in implementing green initiatives, it continues to work towards sustainable solutions. ?? What grows in your #city? Tell us in the comments! ?? #NatureBasedSolutions #UNPplus

Our partner Etifor | Valuing Nature will be participating in the Circular Forestry Innovation: EU Workshop ?? March 26-27, 2025 ?? Kouvola, Finland The EU CAP Network Workshop will showcase both traditional and innovative value chains for forest by-products - from biochar and wood composites to cutting-edge bioplastics and chemical materials. Key focus areas: ?? Successful circular forestry initiatives ??Innovative value chains creating rural jobs ??Business models ensuring fair distribution to forest communities The workshop aims to foster partnerships between EIP-AGRI Operational Groups, Horizon Europe projects, and industry players to strengthen sustainable bio-based value chains. For more information:?https://lnkd.in/d-dvS3xG #GoNaturePositive!?#CircularEconomy #RuralDevelopment #Forestry #Sustainability #NaturePositiveEconomy Giulia Cecchinato

All the work we do Under Ytan is exciting. ?? But this one is particularly interesting. ?? Building new #innovative business models as well as developing new tools for #Naturefinance with #seaweed and #mussels with great partners. ??

?? What does a fair future look like to you? ???? The European Commission has launched strategic dialogues with citizens, institutions and civil society to co-create the most inclusive and participative Intergenerational Fairness Strategy. ?? Join the conversation and contribute now to ensure that all voices are heard! ?? Discover more in our latest blog post:?https://bit.ly/41EFnhF ?? Join us in our campaign for a Europe #FitForFutureGenerations: https://bit.ly/41cgzhZ Fit for Future Generations International Youth Health Organization YouthProAktiv Oikos - Coopera??o e Desenvolvimento Pax Christi International Philea - Philanthropy Europe Association Generation Climate Europe (GCE) Jesuit European Social Centre (JESC) European Youth Forum Youth and Environment Europe (YEE) Laudato Si' Movement Network of Institutions and Leaders for Future Generations (NiFG) Lab Toekomstige Generaties Earthly Institute European Environmental Bureau Fondation Calouste Gulbenkian Alboan ONG Fundazioa Fundacion Entreculturas NGDO World Future Council Friends of Europe Don Bosco International Debating Europe

TODAY’S REMINDER: Beneath our feet, a quiet exchange fuels life.??? marco anselmo, regenerative farmer and founder of L'ort? 'n'te fasce, reminds us of the vital symbiosis between plants and their microbiome in this video taken at the annual NetworkNature EU summit. What we once called simply “leaching” is now understood as a lifeline. Plants release fluids into the soil through their roots, feeding microbes that, in return, provide essential nutrients to help the plants grow. This collaboration, invisible to our eyes, has sustained life for millennia - just like so many other hidden connections in nature. For example, how fungi communicate through vast underground networks, allowing trees to share nutrients and warn each other of threats - or how wolves, when reintroduced to ecosystems, cause a cascade of ecological change. Everything on our planet?is connected. By nurturing soil health, we don’t just grow healthier food—we regenerate ecosystems. What's a fact about nature that you would like everyone to know? Share in the comments! ?? Thanks to the NetworkNature EU team for having us at their annual summit last October, supported by partners ICLEI Europe,?IUCN European Regional Office?Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP), Nature Solves?Trinity College Dublin?The Nature of Cities?GoNaturePositive!?UN Environment Programme , Horizon Nua, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum, Oppla, Biodiversa+, Susanna Gionfra, Chantal van Ham, James Atkinson, and Megan Short. #NaturePositive?#EcosystemRestoration?#RegenerativeAgriculture?#SoilHealth #ClimateAction

I cannot believe we are still having this bonkers debate about the “one true biodiversity metric”. Here’s why you should run a mile if anyone is trying to flog this idea to you: ?? 1. Existing data can’t support a universal metric The huge scale of life and limited funding mean our biodiversity data isn't great. My fellow ecology nerds are working on this issue, but it will take time to fix. I’ve never been great at statistics, but I remember one lesson from my R course: “Rubbish in - Rubbish out.” These efforts are doomed from the start because you can’t magically turn lacklustre data into something that’s universal and robust enough to actually use. ?? 2. Responsive data is key to making metrics useful Metric are important for tracking change. If your metric shows a problem and you act to fix it, you'll want proof that things have improved. Most people don’t realise that the red list gets updated every five years. From a corporate view, that timeframe is ridiculous. It’s almost like saying “never.” ?? 3.?Universal metrics are not universally useful Lets talk about the golden child – Tons of Carbon. This metric works in this case because you want one thing, lower emissions. It’s easy to forget that as soon as you look into delivery options you instantly need a whole host of other metrics. You’d never suggest making massive changes your supply chain based solely on tons of carbon. For nature you don’t want one thing, you want many; less habitat conversion, more rainfall, less flooding, more pollinators, fewer invasive species, more soil organic content, more earthworms, less nitrate pollution etc. No massive composite metric will have the detail needed to help with any of this. ??So if you’re not using a single metric, what’s the alternative? My simple answer: First figure out which decisions you need to make and then seek the evidence you need to make them. You’re going to have varied decision making needs. If you get on top of that from the start then your analyses can be tailored to support those choices, making your life significantly easier. This doesn't mean spending loads of money on consultants, with the right hire you can do quite a bit of this in house. The nature positive sector is still evolving at a rate of knots. This is a challenge for the universal metrics as they’re pretty static, once they’re designed it’s difficult to make changes. Even if there are updates, are they going to help you or are they designed to solve someone else’s problem? I might be biased, but I think most companies should focus on three key areas. First, build strong internal capacity. Second, understand your needs well. Lastly, find partners for specific analyses. This will give you a solid foundation for the long term. If not, you may spend all your time justifying your choice of universal metric.

A number of Horizon Europe projects, such as Invest4Nature and GoNaturePositive!!, are dedicated to exploring, guiding, and advocating for the role that the business and finance sectors can play in protecting nature and fostering biodiversity. These projects highlight the potential of nature-based solutions (NbS) to mitigate risks, boost resilience, and create long-term savings. The recent European Climate Risk Assessment for Business 2025 (EUCRA) meeting in Brussels brought together experts, policymakers, and business leaders to discuss how NbS can drive sustainable progress. Key speakers included: ?? Leena Yl?-Mononen (European Environment Agency) – Emphasized EUCRA’s role in private-sector competitiveness. ?? Luc Bas (CERAC, Belgium) – Discussed the impact of EUCRA’s data-driven insights. ?? Julie Berckmans – Presented key ecosystem findings. ?? Evelyn Underwood (IEEP) – Moderated the panel on NbS. ?? Elina Vaara (EIB) – Addressed financing challenges. ?? Daniela Rizzi (ICLEI & NetworkNature Coordinator) – Explained how cities can drive NbS demand. ?? Milo Fiasconaro (Aqua Publica Europea) & Katrien Moubax (Aquafin) – Discussed NbS for water management and flood risk adaptation. This event underscored the importance of scaling NbS, developing financing mechanisms, and establishing robust metrics to assess their impact on building a climate-resilient Europe. Explore the outcomes ??https://lnkd.in/e-PKgFXD

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The term #naturepositive has gained notable traction across the private sector over recent years. Alongside its increased use, consensus around its meaning – driven by the Nature Positive Initiative – has grown. However, discussion over how corporates and financial institutions can effectively contribute to nature-positive outcomes, and how such contributions can be assessed are still ongoing. By leveraging existing #TransitionPlanning frameworks, such those by the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) and Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), there is an opportunity to form a holistic approach for firms to structure, identify, and deliver actions to support nature-positive outcomes. Such a 'whole-of-business' approach could foster greater internal clarity and coherence in prioritising activities and actions, enhance transparency and communication with external stakeholders on focus areas and delivery over time, and support the embedding of #nature into firm-level strategic planning and delivery. —————————————————————————————— Emily McKenzie Tony Goldner Gavin Edwards Emma Marsden Jessica Smith Anita de Horde Romie Goedicke den Hertog Verena Kraus Eva Zabey Dr Nina Seega Dr Nicola Ranger Sharon Brooks Stacey Baggaley Vian Sharif David Carlin Karen Ellis Aaron Vermeulen Nicolas P. Joy Williams Marie C. Henniges, PhD Akanksha Khatri Laura Fisher Puninda Thind Irene Suarez Perez Richard Spencer Toby Roxburgh Ira Poensgen FIONA STEWART Dorothy Maseke ,CFIRM

Humbled and thrilled to meet one of my heroes today - a woman who has inspired not just me, my mother, my sisters and my daughters but so many generations of women and men in Ireland and around the world. Mary Robinson, The Elders, former President of Ireland; former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Adjunct Professor of Climate Justice here in Trinity College Dublin joined us for a conversation today to mark the start of Trinity Green Week. Three messages I took away from this conversation: ?? Be prepared to pay the price for taking a stand: Talking about the impacts that such decisions have had on her own personal life, the message from Mary Robinson was that doing the right thing may not alway be popular so you need to be prepared to face the consequences. You have to be true to yourself and your values. At 81 years old, Mary Robinson is still making those hard choices and speaking out. What a legend! ?? Involving more women in climate leadership is crucial: after the celebration of International Women's Day #IWD25 this weekend, Mary Robinson highlighted the importance of supporting more women-led leadership on climate issues. As co-founder of Project Dandelion, she talked about the collaborative style of leadership that women bring, the action orientation. Across all genders she called for a shift from short term political point-scoring to 'long-view leadership'. In conversation after the event, I spoke about the importance of gender and diversity in research and the focus of gender in our work in GoNaturePositive! How can we accelerate further the catalytic role that many women already play in nature-positive business movements from green buildings and sustainable forestry to regenerative agriculture, aquaculture, tourism and technology for nature Vera Enzi-Zechner Tetiana Konchenko Giulia Soldano Giulia Cecchinato Esmeralda Borgo Imelda McCarron Nadina Galle Daniela Rizzi Isobel Fletcher Niranjana Bindu Niak Sian Koh Marianne Zandersen Ingrid Andersson Mieke Siebers Rachel E. Golden Kroner, PhD Dr Catherine Farrell Jane Stout and too many more to mention.. ?? Moving to businesses, when specifically asked about the role of business schools in the current changing geopolitical environment, Mary Robinson's message was unequivocal. Now more than ever business schools need to use their voice and exert any, and all, influence we have to remind businesses about the importance of values. It doesn't matter what labels are used (or not used any more), fundamentally businesses need to be clear on their values and stick with them. Regardless of what way the political winds blow, impact on the environment and society must remain on the table. Trinity Business School Thank you to the Sustainability Team Trinity College Dublin for hosting this extraordinary conversation Jane Hackett. Looking forward to continuing our move towards #naturepositive