The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has launched a framework for a nature positive built environment, which it said provides the sector with practical and scalable actions to halt and reverse nature loss.
The framework positions nature as a core consideration for resilience, value creation and as a long-term asset and operational performer.
It recognises that as climate and nature risks intensify, ecosystems are critical infrastructure, providing essential services, reducing flood and heat risk, strengthening supply chains and supporting health and wellbeing.
A UKGBC spokesperson said that while being ‘nature-positive’ is a widely recognised goal, the built environment has lacked a shared, credible definition and a consistent approach, which has led to fragmented action and uncertainty about what constitutes good practice.
The framework aims to address this gap by aligning the property sector with global nature-positive goals and setting out clear pathways for action across organisational strategy, asset management and development .
UKGBC said the framework provides a common foundation for credible and consistent action by:
- Providing a clear, sector-specific definition of what nature-positive means for the built environment
- Setting out actionable pathways across the full asset lifecycle, from organisational strategy and governance to planning, design, construction, operation and end-of-life
- Providing alignment with global and UK frameworks and standards, supporting credible target-setting and disclosure
- Offering practical guidance that can be embedded into organisational strategy and asset and development delivery across the full lifecycle
- Providing a pathway that moves beyond minimising harm to actively restoring and regenerating nature
The framework was co-developed by UKGBC and 33 expert organisations from across the sector, supported by wider industry engagement through workshops and formal consultation.
UKGBC chief executive Simon McWhirter said: “Nature is the very foundation that underpins our economy, safety and wellbeing, not just an optional extra for the built environment. The impacts of nature loss are already visible in rising operational and insurance costs, disrupted supply chains and mounting climate risk.
“This framework gives the sector the clarity it has been missing. It sets out what ‘nature-positive’ means in practical terms and how organisations can act now, embedding nature into decision-making, investment and delivery, rather than treating it as a nice-to-have.”
The launch follows the UK government’s national security assessment identifying biodiversity loss and ecosystem breakdown as a national security risk, with implications for economic stability, supply chains, food security and community resilience.
“Nature-positive action also drives enhanced finance and value,” McWhirter said. “There is a growing opportunity to mobilise investment at scale into homes and places that work better for people, nature and the economy.”
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