CDP and WWF Define Complementary Roles of Nature-Based Solutions and Landscape Approaches

CDP and the World Wildlife Fund have published a joint analysis clarifying the relationship between nature-based solutions (NbS) and landscape and jurisdictional approaches (LA/JAs), two frameworks that are gaining prominence among policymakers, investors, and companies seeking to halt and reverse nature loss. The analysis finds that the two approaches are complementary and mutually reinforcing when applied together, particularly in the context of the Global Biodiversity Framework and the Paris Agreement.

NbS leverage nature to deliver multiple environmental, climate, and social benefits but are typically implemented at a project level with shorter time horizons. LA/JAs operate at a broader landscape or jurisdictional scale, aligning multiple stakeholders around common sustainability goals, building on longer-term visions, and incorporating governmental participation. The practitioner community has agreed on four Core Criteria for LA/JAs, establishing a framework to guide the development, execution, and assessment of effective landscape-scale initiatives.

The analysis identifies that NbS deliver more effective and durable outcomes when embedded within LA/JAs, as landscape governance provides multi-stakeholder accountability and alignment with government policy. Conversely, LA/JAs are better positioned to achieve scale and resilience when they explicitly incorporate NbS as delivery mechanisms. Companies, investors, and policymakers are encouraged to use both frameworks in their nature transition plans and National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans to meet commitments under the Global Biodiversity Framework and the Science Based Targets Network.

The report identifies roughly 80 terms used interchangeably with LA/JAs in different contexts, including 'ecoregional planning' and 'holistic land management', which has created confusion among practitioners and investors. By establishing clear definitions and complementarity between the two approaches, CDP and WWF aim to guide capital markets and companies toward more coherent nature-positive investment and transition planning. Embedding both NbS and LA/JAs in corporate nature transition plans is presented as a key pathway to meeting international biodiversity and climate commitments.

Key figure — Approximately 80 different terms identified as synonyms for landscape and jurisdictional approaches