The European Union has launched a new government-led group — Friends of Credits for Nature and Biodiversity — during COP17 in Yerevan, Armenia.
The platform was launched on behalf of the EU by Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy Jessika Roswall during the conference, the European Commission informed on Wednesday.
It described the initiative as an informal and inclusive forum intended to build international support for “nature credits” and increase cooperation on financing for biodiversity.
It said further that the group will support implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, a global agreement on protecting nature adopted under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.
France and Peru co-hosted the launch event, and the initiative already includes Spain, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Finland, Australia, Botswana, Canada, Chile, Indonesia, Japan and New Zealand, the Commission said.
It added that the group is open to relevant international organisations.
Some international bodies have already joined, including the Organisation for Economic Co-operation in Europe, the International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits, the Biodiversity Credit Alliance and the International Environmental Guardianship.
What are nature credits?
Nature credits are financing instruments intended to attract investment in protecting, restoring and maintaining nature, while providing rewards for those who carry out that work, the Commission said.
It added that the approach is designed to help mobilise private finance for nature by making “nature-positive actions” more visible, credible and investable.
The Commission pointed to its EU Roadmap towards Nature Credits, adopted in July 2025, which it said sets out plans to develop and test nature credits through research, pilot projects, stakeholder consultations and practical testing.
Separately at COP17, Roswall and Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, signed an amendment to a Memorandum of Understanding between the Commission and UNEP, reaffirming commitments to global environmental action and multilateralism.
