The African Development Bank Group, together with other leading multilateral development banks (MDBs), has released a joint briefing note outlining how development finance can move beyond avoiding environmental harm to actively support biodiversity conservation, restoration and enhancement, according to a press release. The publication, Identifying Opportunities to Support Biodiversity Objectives Through MDB Operations, was unveiled on 28 October 2026 at the seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17) in Yerevan, Armenia. The note shows how existing due diligence processes used by MDBs can be deployed to identify opportunities for nature recovery. British International Investment, the UK’s development finance institution, has endorsed the approach, becoming the first national development finance institution to do so. The initiative remains open to additional institutions that wish to join.
The briefing draws on decades of experience in biodiversity risk management and environmental and social due diligence across MDB operations. It demonstrates how the same tools used to identify and manage biodiversity risks can also reveal opportunities to conserve, restore and enhance nature. The publication sets out practical approaches for development banks and their clients to integrate biodiversity considerations into project design and implementation. It supports the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in 2022. That framework calls for urgent action to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 and urges financial institutions to align their portfolios with global biodiversity goals.
The note presents three complementary pathways for achieving biodiversity gains. These include shaping project pipelines to support biodiversity objectives and leveraging environmental and social due diligence to identify opportunities for positive outcomes for nature. A third pathway promotes landscape- and system-level approaches to address broader environmental challenges. Biodiversity gains can be measured through established approaches such as habitat quality-hectares and the pressure-state-response framework. The publication aims to translate global commitments into practical, measurable outcomes on the ground.
The note emphasizes that robust environmental and social standards remain the foundation of MDB operations. MDB requirements to achieve no net loss of natural habitat, and a net gain in biodiversity outcomes where critical habitat is affected, provide the basis for responsible investment. Fatoumata Bouaré, Vice-President and Chief Risk Officer at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), said:
“Nature loss is a global challenge that requires collective action. This joint initiative demonstrates the value of MDB cooperation in turning shared ambition into practical solutions that can be applied across sectors and countries.”
She added that the approach focuses on real projects and real outcomes across infrastructure, energy, transport and other sectors.
By building on existing project preparation and due diligence procedures, the publication seeks to help MDBs and their clients advance national biodiversity priorities and global goals. It also safeguards the independence and rigor of environmental and social risk management. The initiative illustrates how shared ambition among development finance institutions can be translated into coordinated action. It remains open to further endorsements from other national development finance institutions. The briefing stands as a reference tool linking development investments with nature recovery objectives.