Nature initiative for Irish businesses to boost resilience against biodiversity loss

Government-backed not-for-profit Business For Biodiversity Ireland has opened up its membership for 2026 to Irish businesses now and said there is no time to lose for the private sector to start factoring nature into decision-making to maintain a sustainable society and economy for Ireland.

BFBI is partnering with global experts Business For Nature, Deloitte WorldClimate and KPMG Sustainable Futures Teams as they deliver a Nature Strategy Accelerator Programme, including an online information hub, step-by-step guidance and workshops to help Irish businesses of every size and sector to be prepared and understand the steps they should be taking regarding nature-related risk.

Nature initiative for Irish businesses to boost biodiversity

BFBI Executive Director Dr Maria Fitzpatrick said: “It is clear that ‘business as usual’ is not an option anymore, as the 2025 WWF Global Risks Report warns, four of the top 10 risks in the 10-year forecast are environment-related risks. With our Nature Strategy Accelerator Programme, we support our members to understand the risks ahead, build resilience in the face of those challenges and find ways to adapt to what’s in store.”

BFBI offers expert guidance and peer support, with long-term members including Bank of Ireland, Iarnród Éireann/Irish Rail, ESB and SAP Landscapes involved since soon after BFBI’s founding in 2021, with seed-funding support from National Parks and Wildlife Services and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. “Their feedback as they navigate the evolving sustainability reporting landscape has helped shape the BFBI Nature Strategy Accelerator Programme which incorporates international best practice, leading science-based frameworks and updates to help businesses to stay abreast of ESG regulation.

“The members currently in our Strategy Track have been working closely with us since close to our inception and have been developing and honing their Nature Strategy and feeding back to us in workshops about the challenges and opportunities involved in navigating stakeholder engagement, environmental reporting and monitoring and assessment of their biodiversity actions in an ongoing, iterative process. Their testimonials feature on our website and our new brochure, available at businessforbiodiversity.ie”

Many more businesses are joining each year, and BFBI has been undertaking research and educational collaborations with Irish institutions including Trinity College Dublin and Bord Iascaigh Mhara, and fellow initiatives including Horizon Nua and Go Nature Positive, and now various local authorities as they lead the movement to a Nature Positive Economy for Ireland. Maria adds: “We are collaborating on an upcoming free webinar with Waterford City & County Council. The overall aim of all our work is to support businesses in the move to a Nature Positive Economy for Ireland.

This is a concept that emerged as a global goal, via a collaborative forum of business and nature institutions of which BFBI is a member, which aims to ensure, put simply, more nature in the world in 2030 than in 2020 and continued recovery after that. We advocate for ensuring that all of our economic and policy decisions are made with this goal in mind.”

BFBI has also collaborated with National Parks and Wildlife Services on the Biodiversity Duty for Public Bodies – a guidance document on how to assess and report on their biodiversity impacts and actions, launched earlier this year by Minister for Nature Christopher O’Sullivan, Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage.

What is the Business For Biodiversity Ireland Nature Strategy Accelerator Programme?

The Nature Strategy Accelerator Programme consists of four stages to progress through at the businesses’ own pace. Discovery Track: The free introductory 10-step Discovery Track is a great way to swiftly learn how to make the business case for nature with access to online resources and webinars. Action Track: Paid members will then advance through the Action Track to develop a strong understanding of their impacts and dependencies on nature working towards a double materiality assessment for sustainability reporting and risk assessment.
Strategy Track: This involves creating a Nature Ambition Statement and developing a credible nature strategy.
Evolution Track: This will involve an iterative process of reassessing and putting in place a system of implementing nature actions and measuring and monitoring progress.

For more information on the Business for Biodiversity Ireland 2026 Nature Strategy Accelerator Programme visit our website or contact our Executive Director Dr Maria Fitzpatrick at?manager@businessforbiodiversity.ie 

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