Summary

Nature-Positive Transition Pathways (NPPs) translate national nature targets into sectoral investment and action. GFI is working with:

• WWF-UK and the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) to develop NPPs for the UK economy.
• WWF-UK, Business for Nature, TNC, and Finance for Biodiversity to scale the model globally.

NPPs are a practical, science-based framework to identify what business action is needed, sector by sector, in order to meet national and global nature targets, and what policies are required to support businesses.

NPPs will serve as the blueprint for mobilising private investment in both nature restoration and the technologies and business models that reduce impacts on nature, mirroring the role that Net Zero Transition Pathways have played in decarbonisation. Scaling up this investment would be a powerful engine for economic growth, resilience and national security.

NPPs for the UK economy

In its Environmental Improvement Plan (2025), the UK Government committed to working with GFI, WWF-UK and UKCEH to develop NPPs for the UK, focussing on three priority sectors – agrifood, water utilities, and the built environment. This followed the publication of a statement signed by over 35 UK businesses, trade associations and business organisations calling for the development of pathways in the UK to help guide their investments.

The development of NPPs in the UK will bring together the UK government, businesses, academia, and civil society to ensure the pathways are science-based, representative, and robust, as well as being implementable, practical, and supported by both the private sector and Government.

A scoping phase for the programme is running between Jul 2025 and Sep 2026, which will define the technical methodology and develop a sample pathway for the agriculture sector. To support this work, GFI has convened three sector-specific working groups of 15-20 leading businesses and trade associations from the agrifood, water utilities, and built environment sectors. The working groups are co-creating the methodology and sample pathway.

Global engagement on NPPs

GFI and WWF-UK are also working with global partners Business for Nature, The Nature Conservancy and Finance for Biodiversity to engage and support governments internationally on the implementation of NPPs.

NPPs are an effective tool for countries to mobilise private sector investment for the delivery of Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) targets, and can be used as a template for National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs) under the UN CBD process.

A discussion paper was released in February 2026 to introduce the concept of NPPs and demonstrate the business case both for governments and businesses.