Science Based Targets for Nature represent a framework for corporate environmental action. These targets guide companies in addressing the escalating global nature crisis. They provide businesses with a structured approach to reduce negative environmental impacts and foster positive contributions to nature. This framework aims to align corporate practices with the scientific understanding of Earth’s ecological limits and the urgent need for ecosystem restoration.
Defining Science Based Targets for Nature
Science Based Targets for Nature are measurable, actionable, and time-bound goals companies set to decrease detrimental effects and increase beneficial impacts on natural ecosystems. These targets are rooted in the latest scientific understanding of ecological health and planetary boundaries. Their creation addresses the accelerating global biodiversity crisis and widespread ecosystem degradation.
The Science Based Targets Network (SBTN) developed these targets to address the urgent need for businesses to act on biodiversity loss. These nature-focused targets complement the existing climate-focused Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), which primarily focuses on greenhouse gas emissions. Both initiatives advocate for corporate targets grounded in scientific principles, recognizing that climate change and nature loss are deeply interconnected challenges requiring integrated solutions.
The Scientific Basis and Development Process
The development of Science Based Targets for Nature is a process overseen by the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN). These targets are grounded in global scientific frameworks, including the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), which aims to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030. The SBTN also aligns its framework with the concept of planetary boundaries, guiding companies toward a safe operating zone for Earth’s systems.
Companies follow a five-step process to adopt these targets: Assess, Prioritize, Set targets, Act, and Track. The initial “Assess” phase involves understanding a company’s environmental impacts across its value chain through a materiality screening to identify hotspots where impacts are most significant. The “Prioritize” step involves delineating target boundaries and ranking areas for action. Companies then develop specific targets based on SBTN’s methodology, which includes collecting baseline data for prioritized locations. The process emphasizes the role of scientific data and consensus to ensure targets are both ambitious and achievable, with initial guidance for land and freshwater targets released in 2023.
Key Areas for Nature Targets
Science Based Targets for Nature address interconnected domains of the natural world. The SBTN framework covers targets for land, freshwater, oceans, biodiversity, and cross-cutting issues like resource use. These areas are often referred to as the five pillars of the SBTN framework.
For land, targets may involve committing to “no conversion of natural ecosystems” from a 2020 baseline and remediating any conversion that occurred between 2020 and the target-setting year. Companies with large agricultural systems might also set targets for “land footprint reduction” or reducing the intensity of production. Freshwater targets focus on both water quantity and quality, such as reducing water consumption in water-stressed regions or addressing pollutants. Ocean targets, launched in March 2025, aim to avoid overexploitation, protect habitats, and reduce risks to endangered species. Biodiversity targets are integrated across these realms, guiding companies to improve their impacts on ecosystems and species.
Implementation and Broader Impact
Companies integrate Science Based Targets for Nature into their strategies through a structured process. After setting targets, companies implement action plans and monitor and report publicly on their progress. This transparency ensures accountability.
Adopting these targets offers benefits for companies, including mitigating risks from nature loss, fostering innovation, and building stakeholder trust. By aligning their strategies with scientific recommendations, organizations ensure their approach is grounded in a robust framework. The collective action of many companies setting and achieving these targets is fundamental for realizing a broader positive impact on nature, contributing to the global goal of halting and reversing nature loss by 2030 and achieving a nature-positive state by 2050.