TNFD Issues Nature-Related Risk Management and Disclosure Framework

The TNFD framework seeks to provide recommendations and guidance on nature-related risks and opportunities relevant to a wide range of market participants, including investors, analysts, corporate executives and boards, regulators, stock exchanges, and accounting firms. The Taskforce has developed a framework, through an open innovation approach, that will ensure its final recommendations are both science-based and practical to implement by market participants globally. The beta version of the framework represents the beginning of the consultation and pilot testing with market participants and will be open for feedback from market participants. The feedback and testing approach of the Taskforce will inform subsequent releases of beta versions through 2022 and 2023 and the finalized recommendations schedule to be published later.

TNFD intends to align its recommended disclosures closely to those of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), to facilitate and encourage a move toward integrated disclosures. The initial beta version of the TNFD framework includes three core components which are as follows:

• An outline of fundamental concepts and definitions—TNFD recommends that market participants use these when assessing and disclosing their nature-related risks and opportunities. TNFD’s definition of nature-related risks includes longer-term risks presented by nature-related dependencies and nature impacts. Similarly, TNFD has defined nature-related opportunities as activities that create positive outcomes for organizations and nature by avoiding or reducing impact on nature or contributing to its restoration.
• Draft disclosure recommendations for nature-related risks and opportunities—The draft recommendations follow TCFD’s four pillars of disclosure: governance, strategy, risk management, and metrics and targets. The draft recommendations include four general requirements that disclosures should be based on: assessment of nature-related dependencies and impacts; consideration of location; consideration of capabilities for nature-related risk and opportunity assessment and management; and a statement of the scope of disclosures and what will be covered in future disclosures.
• Guidance for nature-related risk and opportunity assessment—TNFD has developed a first version of an integrated nature-related risk and opportunity assessment process, called LEAP (Locate, Evaluate, Assess, Prepare). The LEAP approach is voluntary guidance intended to support internal nature-related risk and opportunity assessments within corporates and financial institutions, which should in turn inform strategy, governance, capital allocation and risk management decisions, including disclosure decisions aligned with the TNFD’s draft disclosure recommendations.

TNFD intends to release additional material on these topics in the subsequent releases: climate-nature nexus; scenario approach, guidance, and timeframe; approach to materiality; social dimensions; sector-specific guidance; and data, metrics, and targets for nature-related risk and opportunity management and disclosure. The open consultation period will continue until June 30, 2023. Organizations can provide feedback on this first beta version as well as subsequent beta versions planned for release in June 2022, October 2022, and February 2023. This will culminate in the final release of the TNFD recommendations (v1.0) planned for September 2023.

Related Links

• TNFD Press Release
• Framework (PDF)
• Discussion Paper on Landscape Assessment (PDF)
• UNEPFI Press Release

Keywords: International, Banking, Climate Change Risk, ESG, Disclosures, Nature-Related Risk, TNFD Framework, Reporting, TCFD, TNFD, Headline