- Nature-Positive Systems
The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) is a voluntary framework that enables governments, businesses and financial institutions to monitor and act on their nature-related dependencies. It represents an important first step towards mandatory nature reporting.
The TNFD was launched in June 2021 after a preparatory phase of work with over 100 leading global institutions and was quickly endorsed by G7 and G20 leaders. It is a market-led initiative comprising 34 Taskforce members from business and finance, representing high nature-risk sectors across all continents.
The framework establishes a consistent global approach for measuring and disclosing risks and impacts on ecosystems. Its purpose is to shift investment away from activities that harm ecosystems and towards those that restore and sustain them. It sets out general guidelines for disclosure across governance, strategy, risk, and impact
Funding Details
Funding Type:
Core Funding
Location:
Australia
Duration:
2024 to 2026
Project Overview
Macdoch Foundation provided an initial untied grant in 2022. A subsequent grant was made in 2024 to provide core support for the secretariat team, to help broaden the adoption of the TNFD recommendations and increase ambition over time. The intention is to encourage market participants to get started with some TNFD-aligned nature-related disclosures and then increase their number, depth and quality.
Why this Work is Important
Nature underpins all global economic activity, yet most businesses and financial institutions lack the information needed to understand their dependencies and impacts. This creates blind spots in both performance and risk management. The TNFD provides a framework to fill this gap. With ecosystems under accelerating pressure, taking action to conserve and restore nature is not only urgent for resilience but also a source of new markets, innovation, and competitive advantage.
The TNFD framework offers a science-backed approach for companies to assess and disclose dependencies and impacts on natural systems. By supporting the TNFD, we are helping to embed natural capital into mainstream business practices—especially vital for food, agriculture, and finance sectors.
Outcomes and Impact
The TNFD has gained significant traction worldwide. Around one in ten public companies have committed to adopt its recommendations, and about 5% are already reporting at least one measure of their nature impacts. Its network is growing fast, with more than 1,000 organisations in the Community of Practice and over 2,000 signed up to the Forum.
Importantly, while no government has yet mandated TNFD-aligned reporting, some jurisdictions have signalled interest in exploring alignment. Major global standard-setters like International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) and Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) have already endorsed its approach. These steps are helping shift corporate behaviour – creating momentum that continues even in the face of political and economic uncertainty.
Together, ISSB and GRI’s alignment with TNFD signals that nature-related disclosures are becoming part of the mainstream of global sustainability reporting. This is important for Australian and international companies managing regulatory and investor expectations.
Read more
Partner Grant: Capitals Coalition
The Capitals Coalition is a global collaboration driving a shift in how the world defines and measures value — embedding nature, people, and place into the heart of economic and business decision-making.
Partner Spotlight: In A Good Place
In A Good Place is a targeted funding initiative supporting community-driven mental health solutions led by and for rural Australians.
Partner Grant: SevGen
SevGen is an Indigenous-led organisation pioneering a sustainable enterprise model that embeds social and environmental benefit.
Join our community
Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest partner stories,
updates and insights shaping the sector.
Macdoch Foundation acknowledges the First Peoples as the first inhabitants and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn and work. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and future.