The Initiative was launched by Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) - PRI is a UN-supported network with over 5,000 signatories representing over $121 trillion in assets under management as of 2023.

All of the companies are major players in the food and agriculture, mineral mining, automotive, chemicals or banking sectors, and either have a large exposure to nature loss or an influential role in engaging policymakers.

The first 20 companies chosen for the investors’ attention are an eclectic bunch, including Toyota and other major carmakers; several Brazilian banks and two of the country’s biggest beef companies; Chinese cleantech businesses BYD and CATL; and consumer goods companies L’Oréal and Reckitt Benckiser.

The investors who have volunteered for leading roles are a mixed group, too. European investors such as Storebrand and Scottish Widows feature, as does Federated Hermes of the US and Japanese names like Sumitomo Mitsui and Nomura. Several Brazilian asset managers, including JGP and Neo Investimentos, are also playing leading roles — a key development given that country’s centrality to the deforestation challenge.

Good for start-ups serving financial institutions to help manage the biodiversity risk of their portfolios (E.g Iceberg data labs)

Finance: The Indigenous-led Great Bear Sea PFP initiative will bring $335 million to support indigenous-led marine conservation in the Northern Shelf Bioregion

Big business: An additional 96 organisations have pledged to adopt recommendations on nature-related financial disclosures within the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) framework, bringing the total to 416 adopters with over $6 trillion in market capitalisation.

Big business: Lidl has announced a five-year strategic partnership with WWF that will improve conservation and biodiversity across 31 countries, as part of a commitment to halve the environmental impact of its food products.

Big business: In the UK, The Homes for Nature commitment will see a bird-nesting brick or box installed for every new home built, as well as hedgehog highways created as standard on every new development taken through planning from September 2024. Twenty house builders, who build more than 90,000 homes a year, have signed up to the voluntary commitment.

Big business: The Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) has been called on by 69 organisations, who represent the Global South, to allow the use of carbon offsets, alleging that their view is being ignored "by the decision makers" in the Global North.

Policy: European Union lawmakers are split over whether to delay the bloc's upcoming ban on imports of goods linked to deforestation (Dec 30th) , adding pressure on Ursula von der Leyen as she seeks their backing for a second term as the European Commission's president.

Policy: Natural capital investor Gresham House has urged EU countries to use England's Biodiversity Net Gain legislation as a blueprint for implementing its recently approved Nature Restoration Law.

Amazing Nature: An extensive aerial survey in South Sudan has revealed an enormous migration of 6 million antelope – the largest migration of land mammals anywhere on Earth. It is more than double the size of the celebrated annual “great migration” between Tanzania and Kenya, which involves about 2 million wildebeest, zebra and gazelle.

Research: Protecting just 1.2% of the Earth’s surface for nature would be enough to prevent the extinction of the world’s most threatened species, according to a new study.

Research: England's statutory biodiversity metric enhances plant, but not bird nor butterfly, biodiversity according to new study

Celebs x Nature: David Beckham joins King Charles' Foundation as an ambassador for nature

Sport x Nature: Water pollution levels in Paris' River Seine remain much higher than allowed for bathing, data showed on Friday, one month before the Olympics in which the capital's landmark waterway is meant to be one of the swimming venues.

German climate risk startup LiveEO closed a €25 million Series B round to expand sales internationally of its software that can assess companies' deforestation and climate infrastructure risks.

Two start-ups in our network our raising. Get in touch to hear more.

2 July -  Reap the benefits of new AgriTech Innovation - London, UK

3 July - MCJ NatureTech Spotlight - Paris, France

6 July - Sustainable Seas - Portugal

10 July - Bees, Pollinators and Biodiversity - Netherlands

16 July - Using Green Finance to Drive Nature’s Recovery - Online

17 July - Livestock & Aquaculture Innovation: shaping the next 10 years - Newport, UK

Lead Biodiversity Scientist @EarthAcre

Engineering and Product roles @ Sylvera

Multiple Roles @ NatureMetrics

Software Engineer @ Gaia

Climate, Nature, and Social Risk Intelligence Lead, Vice President (New York, US) @ JP Morgan

Investment Associate @ Schmidt Family Foundation,  (San Francisco, US)

Investment Director / Manager @ Natural Heritage, (remote, East or Southern Africa)

Senior Project Finance Lead @ Earthshot  (remote/ New York / San Francisco, US)

Senior Software Engineer @ NalaEarth

Check out Theresa Lieb’s post for even more