EU launches nature credits cooperation group

The European Union launched a government-led group to develop international cooperation on nature credits at biodiversity talks in Yerevan, Armenia, on 27 October. The European Commission reported the launch on 28 October, describing the initiative as an informal platform rather than announcing a binding system for issuing or trading credits.

Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall launched the Friends of Credits for Nature and Biodiversity at an event co-hosted by the EU, France and Peru during COP17, the meeting of parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. The initiative seeks support for using private finance alongside other funding to protect and restore nature.

According to the Commission's announcement, nature credits are intended to reward activities that protect, restore or maintain ecosystems. Those are the intended purposes of the financing approach, not evidence that the newly launched group has already produced measurable biodiversity improvements or payments to land managers.

A cooperation group, not a finished credit system

Alongside France and Peru, the countries welcomed to the initiative include Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. Australia, Botswana, Canada, Chile, Indonesia, Japan and New Zealand were also named. The Commission said other countries attended and expressed interest, while relevant international organisations are welcome to participate.

The group's work is due to continue after COP17. The Commission identified an EU side event at the UN climate conference, COP31, on 18 November as one next step. It also said future work would include formal endorsement of a joint statement among government members; it did not describe that endorsement as already completed.

The launch is therefore a step in international cooperation on biodiversity finance. The announcement does not establish a compulsory credit market or set out a final certification standard. Its emphasis is on developing support and cooperation while related work tests how reliable credits could be designed.

The Commission places that work within efforts to meet the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework's goals and targets. It says funding is needed from public, private and philanthropic sources. Nature credits are presented as a complement to public finance, regulation and other incentives, not as a replacement for governments' responsibilities in conservation and restoration.

Earlier roadmap and pilot projects underpin the work

The new group follows the EU's Roadmap towards Nature Credits, adopted in July 2025. That earlier roadmap should not be confused with a fresh announcement this week. It sets out an approach based on research, pilot projects, consultation and practical testing, providing the policy background for the latest international initiative.

The Commission's nature credits information page says the approach aims to develop science-based ways to measure improvements in ecosystem conditions. It identifies farmers, foresters, fishers, landowners and local communities among those who could be rewarded for restoring and protecting ecosystems. These remain potential uses, rather than a new entitlement to receive payments.

An existing Expert Group on Nature Credits advises the Commission on policy preparation related to nature certification and credits. Its work includes gathering scientific and technical information about ecosystem assessment and reviewing experience from existing public and private initiatives. It also considers options for market infrastructure and governance.

The group brings together member states, individual experts, organisations and other public entities. The Commission lists its fourth meeting as having taken place on 1 and 2 October 2026. This technical advisory work is separate from the informal international group announced at the Yerevan event.

Practical testing includes Green Assist support for wetland restoration work in France. The Commission describes that project as exploring how nature-positive practices and wider landscape interventions could be structured and recognised to attract finance. The pilot is a source of experience for developing the approach, rather than proof of a completed EU-wide system.

Green Assist also supports work on biodiversity restoration and conservation investment approaches in Peru. The Commission says the pilots help examine methodologies, monitoring, governance and stakeholder participation. Their purpose includes identifying what credible, scalable nature credit approaches would require, leaving those questions part of the continuing development work.

The immediate next developments to watch are the group's post-COP17 cooperation and the planned joint statement. For now, the announcement connects governments interested in biodiversity finance with a policy approach still being researched and tested, without announcing final operating rules for a nature credit market.

Source material: European Commission. © European Union, 2026, licensed under CC BY 4.0. This article independently rewrites and summarises the source material.