Over the past years, international frameworks, reporting standards and impact/dependency assessment tools have significantly advanced the finance sector’s ability to assess biodiversity impacts and dependencies. Yet, a key gap remains: translating these frameworks and methodologies into tailor-made and context-specific impact assessment processes for the finance sector. Financial institutions (FIs) still lack clear, step-by-step guidance that reflects their diversity in asset classes, assessment purposes/business applications, and institutional capacities.

This breakout session aims to convene FIs, data providers/tool developers, disclosure initiatives, nature conservation organisations and academics to exchange insights on the need to develop protocols that include ‘impact assessment decision trees’ —that is, practical, step-by-step processes for conducting impact assessments tailored to the different types of FIs (e.g., banks, asset owners, asset managers), asset classes (e.g., listed and private equities, loans, sovereign debt, real assets) and decision contexts (e.g., reporting, investment and lending phase, target setting, engagement). Together, the protocols, toolboxes, and data guidance will provide the clarity FIs need to take the right steps and select the right tools in different situations.