General Resources

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework

Agreed upon at the 15th meeting of the Conference of Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, this global framework sets out to preserve and restore nature, protect biodiversity, prevent extinction of species, ensure sustainable use, and promote fair and equitable benefit sharing. It contains four ambitious goals for 2050 and 23 interim targets for 2030 that depend on collaboration between industries and governments at all levels.

Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)

Established in 2012, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is an intergovernmental organisation that was created to  "strengthen the science-policy interface for biodiversity and ecosystem services for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, long-term human well-being, and sustainable development." They are a knowledgeable and reputable source for content that will support your understanding of nature's contributions to human well-being.

The IPBES produces assessments on specific themes and issues at both the regional and global levels; supports policy development; builds capacity and knowledge for participating member states; provides tracking to show the impact of their knowledge materials on decision-making; and engages in communications, outreach, and awareness-building on key ecosystem-related topics.

The IPBES Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

This report is the first ever intergovernmental global assessment on the status and trends of the natural world; their direct and indirect causes; the social implications of these trends; and the actions that can be taken to ensure nature is conserved, restored, and used sustainably. The assessment presents a comprehensive analysis and synthesis of scientific publications, indigenous knowledge, and local knowledge to highlight the impact of biodiversity and ecosystem services on human well-being and the effectiveness of responses, including the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

The summary for policymakers would be of particular value to directors, or to sustainability change agents for the creation of learning materials.

The Convention on Biological Diversity

The Convention for Biological Diversity (CBD) aims to provide a global framework for biodiversity action. The CBD has three main goals: conserving biodiversity, achieving the sustainable use of its components, and fairly and equitably sharing the benefits arising from genetic resources. The CBD brings together the Conference of the Parties (COP) every two years to review progress, adopt programs, and provide policy guidance. Among their achievements is the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, which provided an overarching biodiversity framework for the entire UN system and all partners involved in policy development. This plan includes the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, which were established in an effort to protect and conserve the biodiversity that underpins global food security, health and clean water.

The CBD website is a rich source for learning materials on biodiversity indicators and required actions; primer guides on the Aichi Biodiversity Targets; information on national biodiversity strategies and action plans; and more.

The Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing

The Nagoya Protocol is an international agreement which aims at sharing the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources in a fair and equitable way. Supplementary to the Convention on Biological Diversity, it was developed to create greater legal certainty and transparency for both providers and users of genetic resources by establishing more predictable conditions for access to genetic resources, as well as helping to ensure benefit-sharing when genetic resources leave the country providing the genetic resources.

What Is The Mitigation & Conservation Hierarchy?

This framework from the Conservation Hierarchy outlines four steps (refrain, reduce, restore, and renew) that can be implemented to help businesses advance nature-positive outcomes. The steps can be implemented via two pathways: the mitigation hierarchy, for mitigating future negative impacts, and the conservation hierarchy, for delivering additional conservation potential. The framework is based on the well-established 'mitigation hierarchy' for addressing impacts on biodiversity, and moves beyond it by recognising the need to address past, indirect, and diffuse negative impacts on biodiversity and by combining impact mitigation and proactive conservation. Understanding and implementing this framework is an important starting point for any business that is committed to addressing its direct and indirect impact on nature.

The IUCN Red List Index

Established in 1964, the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species is the world's most comprehensive information source on the global extinction risk status of animal, fungus, and plant species. The index shows trends in overall extinction risk for species, and is used by governments to track their progress towards targets for reducing biodiversity loss. It is also used to guide scientific research, inform policy and conventions, influence resource allocation, and inform conservation planning.

IPBES Assessment Report on the Interlinkages Among Biodiversity, Water, Food and Health

Also known as the Nexus Report, this new landmark report from IPBES provides an ambitious scientific assessment of the complex interconnections between biodiversity, water, food, health, and climate change. Nexus approaches are crucial; despite the intertwined nature of the drivers and underlying causes of degradation of biodiversity, water, food, health, and climate, existing actions to address these challenges fail to tackle the complexity of interlinked problems. Decisions to address these issues are often taken in isolation, resulting in potential misalignment, unplanned trade-offs, and unintended consequences.

The product of three years of work by 165 leading international experts from 57 countries from all regions of the world, the report explores past and current nexus interactions; future nexus interactions; response options that address nexus interactions; and approaches for transforming current siloed modes of governance to better achieve just and sustainable futures. Although created for policy-makers, this summary is a good source of information for sustainability professionals - particularly for the creation of learning materials for senior leaders.

Agreement on Marine Biodiversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction

The United Nations agreement on biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction or BBNJ Agreement (referred to by some stakeholders as the High Seas Treaty or Global Ocean Treaty, and more formally known as The Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction) is a legally binding agreement for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction.

Adopted in June 2023 by the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction convened under the auspices of the United Nations, and entering into force in January 2026, the agreement addresses four main issues: marine genetic resources, including the fair and equitable sharing of benefits; measures such as area-based management tools, including marine protected areas; environmental impact assessments; and capacity-building and the transfer of marine technology. Importantly, the provision for creating marine protected areas in international waters makes it possible to protect 30% of the oceans by 2030 - a key factor in achieving the global goal to designate 30% of Earth's land and ocean area as protected areas by 2030, as agreed in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The agreement also addresses a number of “cross-cutting issues," establishes a funding mechanism, and sets up institutional arrangements, including a Conference of the Parties and various subsidiary bodies, a Clearing-House Mechanism, and a secretariat.

The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures

Reversing global nature loss depends on a shift in global financial flows away from nature-negative outcomes and toward nature-positive outcomes. This depends on large and small businesses across supply chains, financial institutions, and industries of all types collectively identifying, assessing, managing, and disclosing nature-related dependencies, impacts, risks, and opportunities. Towards meeting this inter-industrial challenge, the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) was established in 2021 in response to the growing need to factor nature into financial and business decisions.

The TNFD has developed a market-led, science-based risk management and disclosure framework for organisations to report and act on evolving nature-related risks and opportunities. The TNFD has also developed case studies and sector-specific guidance; a Knowledge Hub that features a curated collection of the latest external resources and market insights on nature-related risks and opportunities; and an open-access Learning Lab that supports self-paced learning about nature-related issues, the TNFD recommendations, and additional guidance.

Breaching planetary boundaries: Over half of global land area suffers critical losses in functional biosphere integrity

This study from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and BOKU University can help you to understand how different regions of the world are moving beyond "functional biosphere integrity" - the ability of plants to help regulate the planet's life-support systems. In order to uphold functional biosphere integrity, plants must acquire enough energy through photosynthesis to maintain the material flows of carbon, water, and nitrogen that support ecosystems and their processes. Unfortunately, intersecting crises such as climate change, nature loss, and land cover conversion are eroding this capacity. The study finds that 60% of global land areas already exist outside the locally defined safe zone, and 38% are now in high-risk zones.

The study builds on the Planetary Boundaries framework published in 2023, which puts energy flows from photosynthesis at the center of those processes that co-regulate planetary stability. The study finds that stress from human activities on the Earth system can be measured by the proportion of natural biomass productivity that humanity is channeling into its own uses – through harvested crops, residues, and timber, as well as the reduction in photosynthetic activity caused by land cultivation and land sealing. The study added to this measure a second and strong indicator of biosphere integrity: complex structural changes in vegetation and in the biosphere’s water, carbon, and nitrogen balances.