During our sessions, many discussions ultimately led to one common conclusion when it comes to nature reporting: “we know it is important, but we don’t know where to start.” The challenge is often not a lack of commitment, but the complexity of identifying the right locations, understanding the required data, and translating technical guidance into practical actions.

Nature Loss Is Already a Business Risk

The urgency for business to start counting natural loss as their business risk is scientifically there. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), up to 14% of terrestrial species (2022) face a very high risk of extinction if global warming reaches 1.5°C. This trend is reinforced by WWF’s Living Planet Report 2024, which recorded an average 74% decline in monitored freshwater species populations since 1970.

For businesses, these should not be considered as environmental statistics, because it is directly translated to water scarcity risk, liability risk, reputational risk, and policy risk. In addition, more than half of global GDP depends on nature and ecosystem services, which means that if ecosystems degrade, it will cause supply chains break, the cost of operation is rising, and regulatory exposure grows.

In Southeast Asia contexts, it is a direct consequence for business operations, because we are one of the world’s most biodiversity rich countries and climate-vulnerable regions, in other words, the risk is already here, and we must be prepared.

SBTN or TNFD? Which One We Should Do First

Many participants ask “Do we start with SBTN or TNFD?”

This question was the most common one, but it is a totally understandable question, since both frameworks involve nature and are important for companies who want to start their nature journey. To understand the difference between them, see details below:

Taskforce on Nature-related Framework Disclosure (TNFD) is a disclosure framework. It helps companies report on their nature-related risks, dependencies, and impacts. But disclosure alone does not tell a company how much, how fast, and where to do interventions about nature.

Science Based Targets Network (SBTN) fills that gap. It gives companies a science-based methodology to assess their impact and dependence on nature, as well as set measurable targets, for land, freshwater, and ocean systems.

Therefore, companies need both of them. SBTN defines science-based goals, while TNFD provides a framework to communicate the progress. Together, they form a complete loop from understanding to action to accountability.

The Real Barriers: Data and Capacity

Understanding the frameworks is one thing, but implementing them is another.

To start a nature journey, companies had to have a strong baseline data on their nature dependencies and impacts. Unlike carbon accounting, where methodologies are relatively standardized and data infrastructure is maturing, nature measurement is more complex. It requires geospatial analysis, biodiversity assessment, and sector-specific materiality mapping.

At some point, it reflects how new the nature agenda is for the corporate sector. But it does underscore an important point, waiting until nature reporting becomes mandatory is not a viable strategy. The learning curve is steep, and the companies that start now will be far better positioned when regulatory requirements inevitably tighten.

From Commitment to Action

Following the WBCSD forum, Bestari continued these conversations at Ecosperity Week in Singapore, engaging with key stakeholders across the nature and sustainability ecosystem. The message was consistent,  the ambition is there, but what is missing is the bridge from commitment to action.

This gap is not going to close on its own. It requires practical support, such as helping companies conduct materiality assessments for nature, building internal capacity to collect and analyze biodiversity data, and guiding them through the process of setting science-based targets that are both ambitious and achievable.

That is exactly the work Bestari does as SBTN Southeast Asia Regional Coordinator, we are connecting companies in the region with the tools, methodology, and guidance they need to turn nature commitments into measurable progress.

Start your nature journey with us, reach out [email protected]