Nature Stewardship

Invest wisely and work thoughtfully to help nature thrive

Nature is all life and the systems that support life. Without it, business and society will not survive. The World Economic Forum estimates that $44 trillion, or around 50% of global GDP, is either highly or moderately dependent on nature and its services¹. Alongside climate change, biodiversity loss and species’ extinction should now be considered systemic risks. Yet across the world, and especially in the UK, nature is in rapid decline. The sixth mass extinction is continuing at pace with around 150 to 200 species becoming extinct every day². Investing in nature is essential to turn the tide.

A stewardship approach helps to climate-proof businesses and communities, through:

improving wellbeing
building climate resilience
restoring biodiversity
creating jobs and regenerating communities
capturing and storing carbon to help us reach net zero.

When it comes to tackling the climate crisis, nature is our ally. Businesses must consider how to work with nature and support nature-based solutions as part of their climate action.

Innovate to sustain and regenerate the planet

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Key Facts

94% of people say businesses are either not doing enough to tackle damage to nature and biodiversity loss or don’t know what businesses are doing³
79% of people see ‘damage to nature’ and ‘biodiversity loss’ as top climate concerns⁴
Nearly half of the UK’s biodiversity has been lost since the industrial revolution⁵ and we rank as the worst country in Europe for nature connectedness⁶.

Business in the Community is calling on business to:

identify where and how business impacts on ecosystems.
understand the risk to the resources your business depends on and take steps to improve the health of water, land, biodiversity, and air quality.
in urban environments, identify where green and blue infrastructure can be used to increase resilience and support communities to implement initiatives.
identify opportunities to invest in preserving nature to create value in new ways such as boosting health and wellbeing, accelerating climate action and building a circular economy.

Business in the Community (BITC) was one of 12 partners on the IGNITION project in Greater Manchester. Working alongside local government, universities, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and supported by the EU’s Urban Innovation Actions initiative.

This ground-breaking project has developed and tested innovative solutions for investing in the natural environment. See the business case and learning in the links below.

IGNITION project resources

The benefits of nature-based solutions (NBS)

Read our Nature-based Solutions to the Climate Emergency: The benefits to business and society report for insights into key performance information around air and water quality, water management, carbon impact and local economic benefit.
Learn how business-led regeneration increases biodiversity, improves the customer experience and boosts spending in the Business-led green regeneration: Streetscapes and shopping centres report.
See how real estate businesses Avison Young and Bruntwood are benefiting from nature-based solutions in our Changing the real estate landscape: How investing in nature pays dividends webinar.

Greening your workplace

Understand the multiple ways your organisation can incorporate nature, no matter how large or small your site, in our Greening your Workspace guide.
Find out how green roofs can reduce energy use, save water and improve air quality and find out if your building meets the criteria in the Investing in Green roofs for climate adaptation report.
Use the Green roof benefit calculator to create a report to your building specifications that unpicks the investment benefits and potential payback.
Learn about sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) and co-financing.

Improving community and employee wellbeing