What is nature positive?
Now that we've wrapped our heads around ‘net zero’, a new term has crept into the lexicon. According to the Nature Positive Initiative, ‘nature positive’ aims to halt and reverse nature loss measured from a baseline of 2020.
It also seeks to increase the health, abundance, diversity and resilience of species, populations and ecosystems so that by 2030, nature is visibly and measurably on the path to recovery.
Why the Australian government is going all in
Professor Graeme Samuel AC's independent review into the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) concluded that Australia’s national environmental law is outdated, ineffective and in need of urgent reform.
Read Prof. Samuel’s report in tandem with the State of the Environment 2021 report and you’ll get a picture of a natural environment deteriorating at warp speed.
Enter the Australian government's Nature Positive Plan
In December 2022, the federal government released the Nature Positive Plan (NPA) as the blueprint for reshaping federal environmental laws and replacing the current Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).
Consultation on proposed reforms include the rollout of National Environmental Standards (NES), the establishment of an independent federal Environment Protection Agency and the creation of a Nature Repair Market aimed at boosting private investment in nature restoration are underway.
International agreement
In September 2023, the international Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) released a set of disclosure recommendations and guidance that encourage and enable business and finance to assess, report and act on their nature-related dependencies, impacts, risks and opportunities – including for mandatory reporting to commence from 2026.
Australia – global focus for nature positive
The federal and New South Wales governments will host for the first Global Nature Positive Summit in October 2024. The Summit will bring together delegates from around the world including ministers, environment groups, First Nations peoples, business, scientists and community leaders, to consider how to supercharge investment in projects that repair nature.
The Global Biodiversity Framework agreed to by 196 countries at the United Nations biodiversity conference last year was described as the ‘Paris agreement for nature’. It set a target of US$200 billion per year of funding to be spent on nature repair by 2030.
The opportunity for the IoT Industry
Where there is reporting there is the need for verifiable, trusted data. There's more to come on this from IoTAA - we've put nature positive on the agenda for the IoT Impact conference and exhibition (coming up on June 13) and it's a key item in our sustainability work program, so stay tuned.
The IoT Impact conference will be held in Sydney on 13 June, 2024, at the Great Hall, UTS. Purchase tickets to IoT Impact 2024.
Interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at IoT Impact? Contact nextmedia strategic partnerships director Joanne Ross.
