Nature Positive mining: Guidance for a critical transition

Nature Positive is a concept and approach that focuses on restoring and enhancing nature to improve biodiversity, ecosystem health, and nature’s benefits to humanity. While the Nature Positive movement is gaining significant momentum, with 90 countries currently signed on, achieving its ambitious vision will require engagement and contributions from all sectors of society. Notably, both governments and the private sector will need to align and embrace transformative change. A comprehensive understanding and implementation of the mitigation hierarchy as a foundation is a first step. This will require commitment, regulation, incentives and actions to both halt the drivers of biodiversity loss and support appropriate biodiversity restoration and protection along supply chains. While there is guidance on reporting, disclosure and target setting through frameworks such as Science-Based Targets Network (SBTN) and the Taskforce on Nature-Related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), there is a need for a clear pathway for companies, investors and policy makers for achieving Nature Positive. In this paper, we review and describe how the Nature Positive concept intersects with global and national-scale policy instruments and identify a set of key principles which can support companies on a Nature Positive pathway. Focusing initially on corporate action we explore how the mining sector can test the model for transforming company operations to achieve nature positive outcomes. We chose mining given its importance to the global economy, its impact on land, and its burgeoning role in the energy transition to a low carbon economy through the provision of critical minerals. The value of the contribution to this transition will be undermined if mining activities exacerbate the loss of biodiversity. We illustrate a conceptual approach that can guide the mining sector, including some key metrics that can be used to track and communicate progress toward nature positive goals. The mining sector has been testing and implementing a range of approaches such as No Net Loss, Net Positive Impact, biodiversity offsets, and lender standards over the last two decades. This provides an excellent foundation upon which to build nature positive ambition and outcomes. Ultimately, the guidance for Nature Positive can be adapted and replicated across other sectors and provide policy makers with the appropriate proof-points that can align on regulation so that robust business practices can drive Nature Positive outcomes with benefits for both people and nature.Author summary: The mining sector is poised to play a key role in the energy transition through the provision of critical minerals. This is leading to concerns over the impacts on nature that could result from increased global mining activity. It is important to consider such risks and create systems that can not only reduce the sector’s impact on nature, but also foster its contribution to Nature Positive outcomes. Achieving success will depend on company commitments to mitigate and compensate their impacts on nature and then going beyond those commitments to invest in landscape-level conservation actions. This must also be accompanied by efforts to imbed nature in business decision making as well as in building more nature positive supply chains. The role of governments is essential in this process. Governments need to establish the enabling policies as well as the conservation targets to which companies can contribute and work closely with the sector to achieve the desired outcomes. By adopting nature -friendly business practices, the sector can help drive Nature Positive outcomes with benefits for both people and the environment.