Since co-authoring the EC Expert Publication titled “The vital role of nature-based solutions in a nature positive economy” published in 2022, ICLEI Europe has been advocating to promote the nature-positive economy agenda within Europe and worldwide. Now, ICLEI Europe is actively helping to co-shape the concept of a nature-positive economy, which represents a crucial step toward enhancing urban and rural resilience across economic, social, and ecological dimensions while simultaneously regenerating urban and rural ecosystems and respecting planetary boundaries.
ICLEI Europe, represented by the Biodiversity and Nature-based Solutions Team, is committed to making the link between nature-positive economies and nature-positive cities. The potential to encourage a shift towards a nature-positive economy in cities is accelerated by the strong foundations ICLEI is involved in, such as ICLEI's Berlin Urban Nature Pact or ICLEI's CitiesWithNature platform. The Pact’s set of SMART targets for biodiversity action in cities, includes green infrastructure, trees and forests; blue infrastructure and water management; food and agriculture; education and nature experience; soil health; coexistence; species and habitats. The CitiesWithNature Platform provides a self-assessment and reporting platform for cities to make commitments and specify actions to be taken, in line with the goals of the broader Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. A successful definition, implementation and testing of a nature-positive economy could not only be scaled up through such initiatives, but could drastically change the current opportunities for cities in terms of financing models, business models and economic models related to nature restoration and human well-being.
The transition towards nature-positive urban development models may appear daunting for city leaders and decision-makers. Targeted efforts to restore and reintroduce nature into the built environment are likely to take years, if not decades, and combining these efforts with climate action to reduce emissions is a complex endeavor. Nevertheless, providing a coherent, inclusive, equitable and evidence-based framework for the transition to a nature-positive economy and nature-positive cities is a first milestone on which ICLEI Europe is working.
Currently, ICLEI is a partner of GoNaturePositve!, and has been collaborating with researchers from Trinity College Dublin and 20 partners across 14 countries, along with a network of global collaborators, to accelerate awareness and transformative action towards a nature-positive economy. Research will result in more clarity on the concept of a nature-positive economy among policymakers, investors, businesses, and wider society and provide guidance on the priorities for transformation through an international study investigating the challenges and benefits of a nature-positive economy.
Siobhan McQuaid, Principal Investigator for the project expressed: “There is no doubt that the restoration of nature presents enormous economic opportunities. But how we set out to define and action the idea of a nature-positive economy is less clear. And what does a nature-positive economy mean on the ground for people, processors, and farmers? The ambition of GoNaturePositive! is huge – to lead to a paradigm shift in economic thinking and practice away from the current spiral of planetary degradation and towards the new opportunities proposed by a nature-positive economy.”
Businesses are at the heart of this Horizon Europe-funded initiative. GoNaturePositive! collaborates with existing initiatives to provide clarity on the concept of a nature-positive economy, guidance and support for business transition and very importantly how to measure progress towards achieving it. GoNaturePositive! also works with nature-based enterprises who are nature-positive from creation. These include regenerative ocean farming and marine businesses in Ireland; bee-farming in Colombia; agro-ecological farming in Belgium; carbon-neutral forestry and nature-positive tourism in Italy and green building enterprises throughout Europe. These pilots showcase real-world challenges and opportunities and demonstrate the measurable contribution of project interventions.
Through robust collaboration, ICLEI aims to generate alternatives to the current economic model, fostering a paradigm shift where nature, human well-being, and ecosystem services take center stage in economic activities. The four-day launch of GoNaturePositive! not only united stakeholders but planted the seeds for collaborative action, paving the way for a resilient, sustainable, and nature-positive future and cities. For all the latest news on the research and pilots on a nature-positive economy, click here.