Mainstreaming Nature in Agricultural Lending: The Case for a Public Ecosystem Certificate

This white paper explores how agricultural lending can be transformed to support biodiversity and nature-positive farming across Europe. It proposes a publicly funded ecosystem certificate, inspired by Energy Performance Certificates, to integrate standardised ecological assessments into banks’ lending processes. By combining independent ecological expertise, accessible ecosystem data, phased supervisory guidance and access to green finance, the approach aims to redirect investment towards sustainable agricultural practices. The paper also highlights the need to align public subsidies and financial incentives to support farmers through the transition.