Findings of a high-level scoping study exploring the case for a global nature-related public data facility

This paper answers questions from several G20 member governments on how addressing nature-related data challenges could enable and accelerate the adoption of corporate reporting and target-setting by business and finance, in line with Goal 15 of the Global Biodiversity Framework. The availability of accurate, comparable and actionable nature-related data is crucial to addressing the global challenge of halting nature loss. This data can help organizations become more resilient to nature-related risks, promote sustainable development for local communities, and encourage investments towards positive environmental outcomes.

The study highlights four main challenges that a global installation of nature-related public data would address:

Credibility: of scientifically sound and high-quality data on the state of nature.

Collection: of additional high-quality state-of-nature data to fill critical data gaps;

Consistency: improving the consistency of nature-related data to improve its decision-making utility for data users; and

Connection: Connecting data from different sources to make it accessible and meet the analytical and information needs of data users.

A global public data repository, supported by government, scientist, private sector, and civil society actors, would help create clarity, accessibility, and consistency in publicly available nature-related data.