Published February 4, 2026 | Version v1

Biodiversity Finance Mechanisms for Nature-Positive Transitions in the Global Food Industry

  • 1. ILSI Europe aisbl

Description

The global food industry is a primary driver of biodiversity loss, land degradation, freshwater depletion, and greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, it is highly dependent on ecosystem services (ES) that are increasingly at risk. This tension has led to growing interest in nature-positive finance as a mechanism to realign capital flows toward production systems that restore, rather than deplete, natural capital. This technical article examines whether and how nature-positive finance can enable a systemic transition of the food industry toward sustainability. It analyses the structural challenges of the current food system, defines the emerging architecture of nature-positive finance, and evaluates the conditions under which financial instruments can catalyse measurable environmental outcomes at scale. The article concludes that nature-positive finance is not a standalone solution but can play a critical role when embedded in coherent policy frameworks, robust measurement systems, and reconfigured value chains. 

Files

BIOFIN-EU Biodiversity Finance Mechanisms for Nature-Positive Transitions in the Global Food Industry_ILSI.pdf

Additional details

Funding

European Commission
BIOFIN - PROTECTING AND RESTORING BIODIVERSITY USING MAINSTREAM FINANCE (BIOFIN) 101135476