Nature Credits Roadmap to reward nature-positive action and boost private finance

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

Today, the European Commission launched a ‘Roadmap towards Nature Credits’, to incentivise private investments into actions that protect and preserve nature, and reward those who undertake these actions and invest in them.

Nature credits represent an investment into nature-positive actions by a company, a financial institution, a public entity or a citizen, which in return can benefit from cleaner ecosystems, risk reduction, improved reputation and higher social acceptability for its projects. Those nature-positive actions can be valued and certified by an independent organisation, thus providing credibility to investors sponsoring the action through nature credits. The actions supported by nature credits can take different forms; some examples in the EU include restoring wetlands or extending forest areas.

With three quarters of businesses in the euro area depending on nature, nature credits are emerging as an innovative tool that changes the way we value nature, and an asset attracting investors. Nature credits represent an opportunity for both business and nature restoration simultaneously: they will boost biodiversity and preserve habitats while generating revenue for those who work to protect nature and for investors.

They offer new income opportunities for farmers, foresters, fishers, landowners and local communities while helping them restore ecosystems and bolster the resilience of their businesses. The range of potential buyers and investors is wide too, from private companies and financial institutions to small investors and public entities.

President von der Leyen said: We have to put nature on the balance sheet. That’s exactly what nature credits do. When well-designed, they will provide an efficient, market-driven instrument that encourage the private sector to invest and innovate. With investment and innovation, we generate revenue for those who work to protect nature, including our farmers, our landowners, our foresters.

Nature credits will therefore address the challenge of nature degradation and climate change, while supporting the EU’s broader goals for competitiveness and resilience, as outlined in the EU Competitiveness Compass and Clean Industrial Deal. Already today, climate risk is causing higher insurance costs, damaging supply chains and farms, and could cost businesses up to 7% of their yearly profits in the next decade, if they don’t adapt and support nature preservation.

Way forward

The Roadmap adopted today and developed with stakeholders sets out a bottom-up approach which will serve to contribute to closing the current ecological investment gap. Nature credits will complement existing public funding for biodiversity as an additional and voluntary source of financing for nature-positive actions.

The Roadmap aims to develop clear standards and reliable certification for these nature-positive actions to make nature credits effective and trustworthy, while avoiding administrative burden when joining such a scheme. It will also draw on already existing standards. Together with robust governance, this is key to avoid greenwashing.

The EU has committed to allocating 10% of its budget to biodiversity by 2026-2027 and doubling its external biodiversity spending to EUR 7 billion. With an estimated EUR 65 billion needed annually for biodiversity investment, blending public and private finance will be essential to deliver results at scale and speed.

The Commission invites all interested parties — businesses, scientists, governments, and civil society — to engage in shaping this initiative through an open call for feedback open until 30 September 2025. To ensure coordinated and inclusive development of a reliable nature credits market, the Commission will establish a new expert group to foster a bottom-up approach that builds on close involvement of concerned stakeholders. The continuous call for expression of interest to join this expert group is launched today. Applications for the first selection phase can be submitted by 10 September 2025 at the latest.

Pilot projects and international cooperation

The EU is currently piloting nature credit initiatives in France, Estonia, and Peru and is working with international partners such as the Biodiversity Credit Alliance, the World Economic Forum and the International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits. Nature credits can also support Member States in meeting national targets under the EU Nature Restoration Regulation and contribute to the global goals of the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework.

Background

Nature is a cornerstone of our livelihoods, health and prosperity and a crucial foundation for a competitive and resilient economy. According to the World Economic Forum, more than half of global GDP and two thirds of the EU’s added economic value depend on nature and its ecosystem services. The aims of nature credits are also in line with the Vision for Agriculture and Food, the Water Resilience Strategy and the European Ocean Pact.