Choose Nature! NetworkNature Annual Event 2025 - event summary and slides
NetworkNature Annual Event 2025 Choose Nature was held on 16 September in Brussels, where over 320 participants joined in person, and more than 200 joined online for a full day of dialogue on how to build an economy that works with nature, not against it.
As many speakers reminded us, there is no economy without nature. Our societies, economies and businesses all depend on healthy ecosystems. Reversing biodiversity loss is not only an environmental imperative, but an economic one as well. One message stood out clearly, "If you choose nature, you’re on the right track," as Boris Erg, director of the IUCN European regional office, summarised.
Throughout the day, we explored the idea that aligning the economy and nature and reversing biodiversity loss requires more than just financial investment. It also calls for reversing historical and ongoing injustices, reconnecting people and nature, rebuilding trust in nature and people, strengthening democracy and creating space for innovative governance and finance. It remained clear to us that both the public and private sectors have an important role to play and that public political and financial investment in nature remains essential to drive this transformation forward. Nature must be at the heart of the solution!
And indeed, we must not overlook the role of passion!
The annual event also saw the launch of NbS Business Forum, a dedicated initiative within Network Nature, bringing together corporates, SMEs, nature-based enterprises (NbEs), and financial actors in a collaborative environment. The Forum’s mission is to accelerate the uptake and scaling of NbS by fostering partnerships, highlighting opportunities for nature financing, sharing insights from research, and providing training on the business dimensions of NbS.
Know more about NetworkNature+ and its NbS community of over 100 projects.