Climate Week NYC: Using the TNFD LEAP process to tackle deforestation

Nature loss poses a major risk to businesses, while moving to nature-positive investments offers opportunity. The TNFD framework – which was launched on 18 September during New York Climate Week – enables companies and financial institutions to integrate nature into decision-making.

In this event, financial institutions shared their experience piloting the TNFD framework and specifically how to assess deforestation in your investments using the TNFD LEAP process, as well as the technical tools available to carry out the assessments.

The piloting organisations and technical experts discussed how the integrated assessment approach is used to assist in understanding a company or investors exposure to deforestation, including obtaining location data for assets, the use of proxies in the absence of specific location data, the use of various platforms for determining materiality and the use of satellite derived deforestation data for determining the size and scope of deforestation.

Official piloting organisations, Global Canopy (also a founding partner of the TNFD) and Frontierra are supporting forward-looking organisations to better understand their nature-related risks and opportunities. Increasingly, more organisations are recognising the importance of better understanding their nature-related impacts, dependencies, risks and opportunities with approximately 240 organisations having already tested, or who are in the process of testing, beta versions of the TNFD’s framework.

This event was aimed at organisations that are currently implementing or are looking to implement the TNFD framework, and for those looking for guidance to better understand how to identify and manage deforestation risks within their investments and operations. It is specifically relevant for financial institutions investing in sectors with high exposure to deforestation, such as agriculture/food.

Speakers included:

• Felipe Arango, Lead, Pilots, TNFD

• Andrew Boulding – Engagement and Piloting Lead (NRF) at Global Canopy

• José Pugas – Partner and Head of Responsible Investments and Engagement at JGP Asset Management

• Lewis Rattray – Managing Director at Frontierra

• Brigette Reid – Co-Founder at Frontierra

• Lina María Uribe Palacio – Sustainability Director at Grupo SURA