26 November 2018: A group of partners has launched a new campaign, ‘We Value Nature,’ which campaign seeks to change business perceptions and make valuing nature the new normal for businesses across Europe.

The campaign was launched on 26 November 2018, at the start of Natural Capital Week, which took place from 26-30 November 2018, in Paris, France. The initiative is a collaborative effort of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Oppla. The European Commission allocated more than €2 million over the next three years to support the campaign.

The campaign aims to increase the understanding of the risks and opportunities created by nature to support businesses in making better decisions for the benefit of themselves, society, and the planet. It will encourage businesses to embed the value of natural capital, defined as the stock of renewable and non-renewable resources that yield benefits to people, into their decision making. The campaign will also urge businesses to adopt the ‘Natural Capital Protocol,’ the internationally standardized framework for the identification, measurement and valuation of natural capital impacts and dependencies to inform private sector decision making.

The initiative will work with the Natural Capital Coalition to ensure that leading organizations, practitioners, academics, and experts avoid duplication of activities, benefit from one another’s best practice, close knowledge gaps, share data and intellectual property where possible, and work collaboratively to achieve a shared vision. [IUCN Press Release] [We Value Nature Website]