SBTN’s approach to target-setting helps companies address the leading causes of biodiversity loss by improving their environmental impacts. This means companies do not set standalone biodiversity targets. Instead, biodiversity outcomes are addressed by targeting the key pressures that drive biodiversity loss, using science-based, place-specific targets across land, freshwater, and ocean.

Biodiversity considerations are embedded throughout the target-setting process – from materiality screening to location prioritization. The guidance focuses on the most significant pressures on biodiversity and the highest impact commodities, and uses indicators such as species vulnerability and ecosystem integrity to ensure companies focus on locations that are critically important for biodiversity. 

The freshwater and land targets (set in Step 3) are informed by these biodiversity considerations and support companies to reduce pressures at the ecosystem-level. Ocean targets go further, directly addressing additional pressures on biodiversity, including overexploitation from fishing, threat to endangered and threatened marine species, and the damage to marine habitats.

As the scope of science-based targets for nature expands, we will explore further improvements to increase the coverage of pressures on biodiversity and positive outcomes for nature. The SBTN Biodiversity Hub is complementing the work to date to more comprehensively address biodiversity loss through integration in the land, freshwater, and ocean targets as well as the step 4 and the associated response options.

Therefore, while we currently do not have biodiversity-specific targets, our approach inherently supports biodiversity through comprehensive environmental impact management.

As the scope of science-based targets for nature expands, we acknowledge further technical advances are needed to ensure full coverage for biodiversity. The SBTN Biodiversity Hub is complementing the work to date to more comprehensively address biodiversity loss through integration in the land, freshwater and ocean targets and by addressing additional pressures of invasive species and overexploitation.

Further resources:

• Overview of how biodiversity is currently integrated within our technical guidance and next steps
• Blog post: 5 ways science-based targets for nature help companies act on biodiversity
• Foundational SBTN position paper that sets out how science-based targets for nature contribute to biodiversity outcomes – developed by the SBTN community