Opportunities, Challenges and the Road to Scale. MDB Policy Brief on Nature Credits
Date issued
October 2026
Subject
Credit;
Finance;
Development Bank;
Biodiversity;
Transparency and Anticorruption;
Infrastructure Development;
Regulation;
Safeguard;
Governance
JEL code
Q56 - Environment and Development • Environment and Trade • Sustainability • Environmental Accounts and Accounting • Environmental Equity • Population Growth;
Q57 - Ecological Economics: Ecosystem Services • Biodiversity Conservation • Bioeconomics • Industrial Ecology;
Q58 - Government Policy;
G23 - Non-bank Financial Institutions • Financial Instruments • Institutional Investors;
G28 - Government Policy and Regulation
Category
Catalogs and Brochures
This policy brief provides practical guidance for governments, multilateral development banks (MDBs), and national development banks (NDBs) on how nature credits can support the mobilization of finance for measurable and verified nature-positive outcomes. It outlines key opportunities, challenges, enabling conditions, and practical building blocks for credible nature-credit schemes, complemented by case studies from Chile, the Dominican Republic, Ireland, and Thailand and a roadmap for implementation. The brief promotes a purpose-first, evidence-based approach that builds on existing institutions and financial mechanisms, strengthens demand and integrity, and supports learning and scaling
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