the tnfd (taskforce on nature-related financial disclosures) has given us the most robust framework in history for understanding business dependencies on nature. their leap approach—locate, evaluate, assess, prepare—is a masterpiece of technical assessment.
but after working with dozens of organizations, we've identified a dangerous gap: assessment is not mitigation.
you can locate your interface with nature, evaluate your dependencies, assess your risks, and prepare a brilliant report—and yet, the natural asset you depend on remains just as degraded and vulnerable as the day you started.
it’s time to add the 5th phase. it’s time for leaps.
the gap in the leap
the current leap framework ends with 'prepare'—which tnfd defines as preparing to respond and report. for most corporations, this translates to 'preparing the disclosure.'
but disclosure is not a solution. in fact, as we've argued before, identifying a risk without a management plan is simply publishing a map of your own failure. you wouldn't identify a fire in your server room and then stop at 'preparing a report about the fire.' you would put the fire out.
s is for solutions
the 's' in leaps stands for solutions. it is the shift from reporting on nature-related risk to actually eliminating it through capital deployment.
| phase | action | outcome |
|---|---|---|
| locate | interface mapping | geography of impact |
| evaluate | dependency analysis | service quantification |
| assess | risk/opportunity | financial materiality |
| prepare | reporting/response | transparent disclosure |
| solutions | ensurance | risk mitigation & permanent protection |
why ensurance is the 's'
ensurance was designed to be the missing exit for the leap framework. it is the mechanism that turns the 'assessed risk' into an 'ensured asset.'
- proactive mitigation: while traditional insurance waits for the loss to occur, ensurance (the 's' phase) funds the stewardship required to prevent the loss in the first place.
- asset-level accountability: solutions must be as local as the risks. ensurance certificates tie your capital directly to the specific natural asset you located in phase 1.
- verified resilience: phase 5 provides the mrv (measurement, reporting, and verification) that proves your 'solution' is actually working, closing the loop on your disclosure.
from reporter to solver
the companies that will lead the nature-positive economy are not those with the longest disclosures. they are the ones who move through leap and arrive at leaps. they are the ones who recognize that the only way to manage nature-related financial risk is to invest in the health of the asset providing the service.
if you are stuck in the 'assess' phase, you aren't managing risk—you're just observing it.
taking action
we propose a new standard for corporate nature strategy: don't publish a leap report unless it includes an 's' for the solutions you are deploying to mitigate the risks you've identified.