For the concept of nature positive to succeed as the lodestar for international action on biodiversity conservation, it must build upon lessons learned from the application of the mitigation hierarchy — or risk becoming mere greenwash.
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Acknowledgements
All authors (except M.C.E) are members of IUCN’s Thematic Group on Impact Mitigation and Ecological Compensation, part of the Commission on Ecosystem Management, and thank group members for valuable discussions on the topic. J.P.G.J. thanks the Prince Bernhard Chair foundation for funding. S.O.S.E.z.E. is supported by EU Horizon 2020 project SUPERB (systemic solutions for upscaling of urgent ecosystem restoration for forest related biodiversity), (grant ref: GA 101036849). E.J.M.-G. acknowledges support from the Leverhulme Trust via its support for the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery.
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The authors declare the following associations relevant to this material; in their various roles with these organizations, all authors promote international good practice in conserving biodiversity and mitigating impacts. M.M., F.Q., M.C.E, S.O.S.E.z.E., E.J.M.-G., K.t.K. and A.v.H. have advised government, nongovernment organizations and industry bodies on nature positive and the mitigation hierarchy. Terrasos (M.S.) provides advisory services for companies applying the mitigation hierarchy and provides biodiversity compensation solutions through habitat banks and other means. Rewilding Europe (F.Q.) has a commercial arm that invests in ecosystem restoration projects in Europe. J.W.B. directs Wild Business Ltd, which provides research-based technical advisory services for selected organizations implementing nature-positive strategies or applying the mitigation hierarchy. Susie Brownlie & Associates (S.B.) advises environmental nongovernmental organizations on good practice in impact assessment and mitigation, and on occasion supports developers in designing and implementing offsets. K.t.K. is a non-executive director of Finance Earth, a mission-driven social enterprise, working in partnership with environmental organizations to protect and restore nature using market-based mechanisms and implementing bespoke financial tools. eCountability Ltd (J.T.) advises on best practice implementation of the mitigation hierarchy and natural capital assessment and accounting.
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Maron, M., Quétier, F., Sarmiento, M. et al. ‘Nature positive’ must incorporate, not undermine, the mitigation hierarchy. Nat Ecol Evol 8, 14–17 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-023-02199-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-023-02199-2