Inventory of nature impact reduction strategies

People, businesses and economies cannot thrive without nature, including the essential ecosystems services such as clean water or pollination that underpin our collective survival. As scientific evidence of nature’s rapid decline continues to mount, businesses are increasingly acknowledging their specific impacts on nature and the urgent need to transition toward nature-positive models that can restore natural capital, better manage and safeguard ecosystem services.  

As part of the SUSTAIN project– Strengthening Understanding and Strategies of Business to Assess and Integrate Nature – an inventory of nature impact reduction strategies was developed for businesses within the agriculture, energy, and built environment sector to help mitigate their impacts on nature. Building on existing guidance from the Science Based Targets Network, the inventory provides a diverse but non-exhaustive list of options businesses could consider as a starting point for addressing their nature-related pressures identified by the ENCORE tool. These pressures range from noise disturbances, water quality issues, the spread of invasive species, land-use change to nutrient pollution.  

The inventory aligns with the well-established High-Level Business Actions on Nature: Assess, Commit, Transform, and Disclose (ACT-D) framework by providing support for businesses in the ‘Transform’ phase of revising their business strategy and models. Compiled through a comprehensive process of identifying best practices from academic literature and company case studies, the inventory has been reviewed by subject matter experts. It is intended as a supplementary resource for businesses that have already completed foundational steps, such as conducting robust risk assessments and setting credible science-based targets. 

Focusing on high-impact sectors such as agriculture, energy and the built environment, the inventory outlines over 150 response options across different stages of the value chain. Businesses can use this to consider options for both their direct operations and for engaging with upstream and downstream stakeholders to address nature-related impacts through coordinated action.

• For agriculture, the inventory addresses both animal and crop production across the entire supply chain, from on farm-level practices to broader systemic interventions. This includes a range of options from diversifying feed sources to alleviate pressures on water and land resources, adopting circular agricultural practices to improve resource efficiency and reduce waste and utilising certification schemes that help limit deforestation and minimise land-use change.  
• For energy, the inventory covers response options for different types of fossil fuel and renewable energy production including solar, wind and hydropower. It covers a broad spectrum of options, ranging from designating “no-go” zones to mitigate mining and quarrying impacts, to specific operational practices that could improve water quality and toxic pollutant emissions. 
• For built environment, the inventory includes a range of possible options spanning the entire lifecycle of buildings and related infrastructure from minimising the impacts on nature caused by material extraction to mitigating construction effects and improving waste management.