Today we have held the first meeting of the Community of Practice of the Spanish Business and Biodiversity Initiative (IEEB). Under the title “Knowledge about the state of biodiversity: data and key tools for decision-making in the company”, the attending companies have been able to delve into tools and regulations that are being developed on what and how to report, measure and disseminate the impacts that their activities and investments have on biodiversity, among other aspects. The Director General of Biodiversity, Forests and Desertification of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), accompanied by the Director of the Biodiversity Foundation, Elena Pita, inaugurated this conference, in which she highlighted how the Strategic Plan for Natural Heritage and Biodiversity 2030 (PEEPNB 2030) responds to the new global framework for biological diversity and contemplates the need to improve and promote the consideration of biodiversity and biodiversity. natural heritage in ordinary activity and in the decision-making of companies. To this end, it will promote dialogue with the private sector through platforms such as the IEEB, which will promote investment and private activity favourable to biodiversity. This national strategic plan is the first adopted in the world after the COP 15 agreements, and it is an ambitious framework with established quantitative targets. On the other hand, Rodríguez de Sancho pointed out how the Nature Data Bank, developed by MITECO, harmonizes, analyzes and makes available to the public all the information contained in the Spanish Inventory of Natural Heritage and Biodiversity. Currently, this database is undergoing a transformation process to adapt to the needs of the new context, and to know what role companies can play in data generation. During the meeting, a round table was held between companies from different sectors (Naturgy, Redeia, Spanish Group for Green Growth, AGBAR, Ferrovial and Holcim Spain), where the private sector’s knowledge needs on biodiversity and how companies could contribute information to the Nature Data Bank were discussed. This seminar is the first of a cycle that will take place in the coming months, within the framework of the IEEB Community of Practice, coordinated by the MITECO Biodiversity Foundation, and which will organize seminars and workshops to promote the involvement of the business sector in the conservation and restoration of biodiversity. These meetings will focus on three lines: advancing in the promotion of the integration of biodiversity-related issues in the decision-making processes of companies and financial organizations, addressing methodologies and tools for the measurement and assessment of impacts and dependencies of nature and the assessment of risks and opportunities for companies, and to provide information to businesses on opportunities and implications arising from the policy context associated with the Kunming-Montreal Global Framework for Biodiversity. This community offers a centre of advanced knowledge and a space for dialogue between the public and private sectors where opportunities for public-private collaboration can be explored, have up-to-date information on the regulatory context, learn about initiatives and tools of interest and exchange good practices.

ABOUT THE SPANISH INITIATIVE BUSINESS AND BIODIVERSITY
The IEEB is a public-private collaboration platform that seeks to add the business sector to the improvement and maintenance of biodiversity and natural capital. It is aimed at entities in the business sector that want to know, explore opportunities, advance and show their commitment to nature conservation. Promoted by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, the IEEB is part of the European Business and Biodiversity Platform and the Global Business and Biodiversity Alliance. It also participates in international projects (SUSTAIN, BIODIVERSA+ and ALIGN) to generate and transfer knowledge that helps identify, assess and evaluate the impacts and dependencies of biodiversity and coordinates with other business and biodiversity initiatives through its strategic partners (Spanish Group for Green Growth, CEOE, Forética, Club of Excellence in Sustainability and Global Nature Foundation). All the information on how to participate can be consulted in https://ieeb.fundacion-biodiversidad.es/.