Exploring the potential of the nature-positive economy

March, 2024

Nature-positive enterprises join forces with researchers to explore the potential of the nature-positive economy

A group of beehives under diverse fruit and timber trees in the Aburrá Valley in Colombia is one of over 500 nature-positive enterprises joining forces with researchers from Trinity College Dublin, the GoNaturePositive! consortium and ICLEI Colombia on an international study investigating the challenges and benefits of a nature-positive economy.

The pilot study of the nature-positive potential of Agroecology in Colombia forms part of the GoNaturePositive! research project, which was launched by Malcolm Noonan,  Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform, Ireland, at an event in Trinity Business School on March 6th.

The GoNaturePositive! Consortium in Galway.

The initiative led by Trinity Business School involves 20 partners across 14 countries and a network of global collaborators to accelerate awareness and transformative action towards a nature-positive economy among policymakers, investors, businesses and wider society. The research will provide more clarity on the concept of a nature-positive economy and guide businesses and policymakers on the priorities for transformation. 

Siobhan McQuaid, Principal Investigator on GoNaturePositive!, added:

“There is no doubt that the restoration of nature presents enormous economic opportunities. But how we set out to define and action the idea of a nature-positive economy is less clear. And what does a nature-positive economy mean for people, processors, and farmers on the ground? The ambition of GoNaturePositive! is huge – to lead to a paradigm shift in economic thinking and practise away from the current spiral of planetary degradation and towards the new opportunities proposed by a nature-positive economy.” 

Businesses are at the heart of this Horizon Europe-funded initiative. GoNaturePositive! collaborates with existing initiatives to provide clarity on the concept of a nature-positive economy, guidance and support for business transition and, very importantly, how to measure progress towards achieving it. GoNaturePositive! also works with nature-based enterprises that have been nature-positive since creation. These include regenerative ocean farming and marine businesses in Ireland, bee-farming in Colombia, agro-ecological farming in Belgium, carbon-neutral forestry and nature-positive tourism in Italy, and green building enterprises throughout Europe. These pilots showcase real-world challenges and opportunities and demonstrate the measurable contribution of project interventions.

Tatiana Ramos, a project analyst for ICLEI Colombia and the driving force behind the nature-positive pilot project on beekeeping as a nature-based enterprise expressed:

"We at ICLEI Colombia are delighted to participate in this initiative, which will be implemented in the metropolitan area of the Aburrá Valley. Beekeeping, as we all know, involves the careful management of honey bees for the production of honey and wax. Not only does apiculture provide valuable honey, a nutritious food source, but it also plays a crucial role in pollination. Honey bees are unparalleled pollinating agents, significantly enhancing crop yields. It is amazing how this pilot project is improving the economic incomes of several families who are part of a resettlement network, reducing deforestation processes in rural and peri-urban green spaces, contributing to the conservation of key pollinator species - knowledge generation, and consolidating a network of citizens for the resettlement of bees and wasps. We expect to contribute to the practical experience of how agroecological practices such as beekeeping can become nature-based enterprises at the heart of a nature-positive economy. In the long term, the ecosystem services provided by ecological practices should be a central part of an economy based on well-being and equity.”

At today’s event at Trinity Business School, business and environmental leaders from around the world will gather to begin shaping an inclusive EU definition of the nature-positive economy with global character and to kick-start discussions on how such a definition can be integrated into future global, EU, national, and local government policies and programmes within the framework of the broader EU Green Deal. The launch of GoNaturePositive! took place at Trinity Business School on Wednesday, the 6th, and Thursday, the 7th of March.

For more information about the project and to get involved, visit GoNaturePositive!