Playbook: Adopting Nature-Based Solutions in 90 Days

Nature-based solutions (NbS) now represent a $8.1 billion annual investment opportunity in the United States alone, yet fewer than 23% of Fortune 500 companies have integrated quantifiable NbS strategies into their climate resilience portfolios. According to the World Economic Forum's 2024 Nature Risk Rising report, organizations implementing nature-based solutions achieve an average return on investment of 4:1 compared to conventional gray infrastructure, with co-benefits spanning carbon sequestration, water security, and biodiversity enhancement. This 90-day playbook provides procurement leaders with a rigorous, sector-comparative framework for capturing these value pools while meeting emerging regulatory requirements under SEC climate disclosure rules and CSRD alignment expectations.

Why It Matters

The urgency of nature-based solutions adoption has reached an inflection point in 2024-2025, driven by converging regulatory, financial, and physical climate pressures. The SEC's climate disclosure rule, finalized in March 2024, requires large public companies to disclose material climate risks—including physical risks that NbS can directly mitigate. Meanwhile, US companies with European operations face CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) requirements beginning in fiscal year 2025, which mandate detailed nature-related disclosures aligned with the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) framework.

From a financial materiality perspective, the numbers are compelling. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that the United States experienced 28 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in 2023, with total costs exceeding $92.9 billion. Nature-based solutions offer proven risk mitigation: a 2024 analysis by the US Army Corps of Engineers found that wetland restoration projects reduce flood damages by an average of 29% in downstream communities, while urban green infrastructure decreases stormwater management costs by $0.54 per gallon compared to traditional gray infrastructure.

The value pool distribution varies significantly across sectors. Real estate and infrastructure organizations capture the largest share of direct financial benefits, with coastal wetland buffers reducing property insurance premiums by 15-22% in high-risk zones. Agricultural operations benefit from soil carbon sequestration payments averaging $18-35 per metric ton CO2e under programs like Indigo Ag's carbon marketplace. Water utilities achieve operational savings of 12-18% through watershed protection programs that reduce treatment costs. Energy sector applications, particularly those integrating electrolyzers for green hydrogen production with NbS-based water sourcing, demonstrate emerging value creation pathways that combine decarbonization with nature-positive outcomes.

The competitive landscape is shifting rapidly. A 2025 McKinsey analysis found that companies with mature NbS integration outperform sector peers by 2.3% in total shareholder returns over five-year periods, attributed to reduced physical risk exposure, enhanced regulatory positioning, and improved stakeholder relationships. For procurement professionals, the question is no longer whether to adopt nature-based solutions, but how quickly and effectively the organization can capture these demonstrated value pools before regulatory compliance becomes mandatory and first-mover advantages diminish.

Key Concepts

Nature-Based Solutions (NbS): Defined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), nature-based solutions are actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural or modified ecosystems that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits. In the US context, this encompasses wetland restoration, urban forestry, regenerative agriculture, living shorelines, and green stormwater infrastructure. The key distinction from conventional approaches is that NbS work with natural processes rather than against them, typically delivering multiple co-benefits at lower lifecycle costs.

Water Resilience: Water resilience refers to the capacity of water systems—both natural and engineered—to anticipate, absorb, adapt to, and recover from water-related shocks and stresses while maintaining essential functions. Nature-based solutions enhance water resilience through watershed protection (reducing treatment costs), floodplain restoration (attenuating peak flows), wetland preservation (filtering pollutants naturally), and groundwater recharge enhancement. The EPA estimates that natural infrastructure can provide equivalent water quality benefits to conventional treatment at 50-75% lower capital costs.

Climate Resilience: In the NbS context, climate resilience encompasses the ability of communities, infrastructure, and ecosystems to withstand, respond to, and recover from climate-related hazards. The IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (2022) identifies nature-based solutions as "no-regret" adaptation measures that provide benefits across multiple climate scenarios. Benchmark KPIs for resilience include reduced asset downtime during extreme events, decreased insurance claims, and maintained operational continuity metrics.

Electrolyzer Integration: Electrolyzers—devices that use electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen—represent an emerging intersection with nature-based solutions. Green hydrogen production requires significant water inputs (9 liters per kilogram H2), creating opportunities for NbS-based water sourcing through constructed wetlands, watershed restoration, and rainwater harvesting systems. Companies like Plug Power and Nel Hydrogen are piloting integrated NbS-electrolyzer systems that ensure sustainable water sourcing while generating carbon credits from associated restoration activities.

CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive): The European Union's CSRD mandates detailed sustainability reporting for companies meeting specified size thresholds, including US companies with significant EU operations (net turnover >€150 million in the EU). Effective for fiscal year 2025 reports, CSRD requires disclosure of nature-related impacts, dependencies, risks, and opportunities—making NbS investments directly material to regulatory compliance. The regulation aligns closely with TNFD recommendations and requires science-based targets for nature alongside climate commitments.

What's Working and What Isn't

What's Working

Watershed Investment Programs Delivering Measurable ROI: Municipal water utilities across the United States have demonstrated consistent success with watershed protection investments. Denver Water's From Forests to Faucets partnership has invested over $33 million since 2010 in forest restoration across the South Platte River watershed, achieving documented treatment cost reductions of $3.60 per thousand gallons processed. The program's benefit-cost ratio exceeds 5:1 when accounting for avoided infrastructure costs, reduced wildfire risk to water supply, and carbon sequestration benefits. Similar programs in New York City (Catskill-Delaware watershed protection) and Portland, Oregon (Bull Run watershed) demonstrate that NbS investments at the watershed scale consistently outperform conventional infrastructure investments.

Coastal Resilience Projects Reducing Insurance Costs: Living shoreline installations along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts are generating quantifiable insurance premium reductions. The Nature Conservancy's Coastal Resilience program has documented that properties protected by restored salt marshes in Louisiana experience 18-24% lower flood insurance premiums compared to properties relying solely on hardened structures. In South Carolina, the ACE Basin restoration project has attracted over $2.1 billion in property development that explicitly values the protective ecosystem services. The insurance industry is increasingly recognizing these benefits, with Swiss Re and Munich Re both incorporating NbS effectiveness into their risk models.

Agricultural Carbon Markets Reaching Commercial Scale: Regenerative agriculture programs that combine soil health practices with nature-based carbon sequestration are achieving commercial viability. Indigo Ag's carbon marketplace has enrolled over 20 million acres across US farmland, paying farmers an average of $22 per metric ton CO2e for verified carbon credits. Bayer's ForGround program has committed $100 million to scaling regenerative practices across 10 million acres by 2030. These programs demonstrate that agricultural NbS can generate additive revenue streams of $15-40 per acre while improving long-term soil productivity—creating aligned incentives for adoption.

What Isn't Working

Short-Term Corporate Planning Horizons Misaligned with NbS Timelines: Many nature-based solutions require 3-7 years to achieve full ecosystem functionality, creating fundamental misalignment with typical 2-3 year corporate planning cycles and quarterly earnings pressures. Wetland restoration projects, for example, require 5-8 years for hydric soil development and vegetation establishment before delivering maximum nutrient removal and flood attenuation benefits. Organizations attempting to implement NbS within standard capital expenditure approval processes often abandon projects prematurely or fail to capture documented benefits due to insufficient patience with natural system development curves.

Fragmented Measurement Standards Undermining Credibility: The absence of universally accepted NbS performance metrics creates significant challenges for procurement teams seeking to compare solutions across vendors and verify claimed benefits. While frameworks like the TNFD and Science Based Targets for Nature (SBTN) are maturing, practical measurement protocols remain inconsistent. A 2024 analysis by the Natural Climate Solutions Alliance found that carbon credit claims from NbS projects varied by 40-200% depending on methodology used, creating legitimate concerns about greenwashing and undermining buyer confidence in quantified co-benefits.

Permitting and Regulatory Complexity Delaying Implementation: Federal and state permitting requirements for nature-based solutions—particularly those involving wetlands, waterways, or coastal zones—often create 12-24 month approval timelines that conflict with 90-day implementation goals. Section 404 Clean Water Act permits, state environmental quality certifications, and coastal zone management consistency determinations each introduce complexity and uncertainty. While the Biden administration's Council on Environmental Quality issued guidance in 2023 encouraging expedited NbS permitting, practical implementation remains inconsistent across Army Corps districts and state agencies.

Key Players

Established Leaders

The Nature Conservancy (TNC): The world's largest environmental nonprofit, TNC has developed deep expertise in corporate NbS partnerships through initiatives like the Natural Climate Solutions Accelerator. Their science-based approach to quantifying ecosystem benefits and their capacity for large-scale project implementation make them a preferred partner for Fortune 500 companies. TNC's Blue Carbon program has restored over 4 million acres of coastal wetlands globally.

Jacobs Engineering Group: As a leading infrastructure consulting firm, Jacobs has established a dedicated Natural Infrastructure Solutions practice that integrates NbS into conventional engineering projects. Their work spans green stormwater infrastructure design, living shoreline engineering, and watershed planning services. Jacobs' $12 billion annual revenue positions them to influence mainstream adoption across public and private sector clients.

WSP Global: This professional services firm has built significant NbS capabilities through their Climate, Resilience & Sustainability practice. WSP's integrated approach combines technical engineering with ecological expertise, enabling clients to design NbS that meet both regulatory requirements and infrastructure performance standards. Their 2024 acquisition of ecology-focused consultancies has expanded their North American capabilities.

AECOM: The multinational infrastructure firm has positioned NbS as a core service offering within their Environment practice. AECOM's Sustainable Legacies initiative explicitly integrates natural solutions across project portfolios, and their work on major coastal resilience projects in New York City and Miami demonstrates technical leadership in urban NbS applications.

Tetra Tech: Specializing in water-related consulting and engineering, Tetra Tech has developed comprehensive NbS services for stormwater management, watershed protection, and ecosystem restoration. Their Environmental and Water Practice has completed over 150 NbS projects across US municipalities, generating a substantial knowledge base for performance benchmarking.

Emerging Startups

Upstream Tech: This satellite analytics company provides AI-powered monitoring for watershed and forest conservation projects, enabling verification of NbS performance at scale. Their Lens platform allows corporate buyers to track ecosystem changes in near-real-time, addressing measurement credibility challenges. Upstream Tech has raised over $30 million and works with major conservation organizations.

Pachama: Focused on forest carbon markets, Pachama uses satellite imagery and machine learning to verify carbon sequestration claims from forest-based NbS projects. Their technology platform enables corporate buyers to confidently invest in high-quality nature-based carbon credits with third-party verification. The company has raised $79 million in venture funding.

Reforestum: This Spanish-American startup provides a platform for corporate forest creation and restoration investments, with US-based projects in the Pacific Northwest and Appalachia. Reforestum's blockchain-based tracking system provides transparent verification of tree growth and carbon sequestration, addressing buyer concerns about NbS credibility.

Nori: Operating a dedicated carbon removal marketplace, Nori focuses on agricultural NbS including regenerative agriculture and biochar. Their standardized methodology and third-party verification process has attracted major corporate buyers including Shopify and Microsoft. Nori has facilitated over $5 million in carbon removal purchases.

Regen Network: Combining blockchain technology with ecological data, Regen Network enables transparent tracking of ecosystem credits from NbS projects. Their Regen Ledger provides immutable records of ecosystem improvements, while their Regen Registry establishes standardized methodologies for credit issuance. The company works with both smallholder farmers and large agricultural operations.

Key Investors & Funders

Breakthrough Energy Ventures: Bill Gates' climate investment fund has allocated significant capital to nature-based solutions, including investments in agricultural carbon platforms and reforestation technologies. Their $2 billion fund prioritizes solutions with potential for gigatonne-scale carbon impact.

The Rockefeller Foundation: Through their Food Initiative and Climate & Energy programs, the foundation has committed over $1 billion to nature-positive agriculture and ecosystem restoration. Their focus on catalytic capital helps de-risk private sector NbS investments in early-stage markets.

Generation Investment Management: Co-founded by Al Gore, this sustainable investment firm manages over $36 billion with explicit nature-positive mandates. Their investment approach integrates NbS opportunities across portfolio companies, creating demand signals for corporate adoption.

Lowercarbon Capital: This venture capital firm specializing in climate technology has made significant investments in NbS-adjacent companies including monitoring platforms, carbon marketplaces, and agricultural technology. Their portfolio approach helps build the enabling infrastructure for NbS adoption.

USDA Climate-Smart Commodities Program: This $3.1 billion federal initiative provides direct funding for on-farm NbS implementation, including regenerative agriculture practices, cover cropping, and silvopasture systems. The program's scale makes it the largest single source of NbS funding for agricultural applications in US history.

Examples

Example 1: Great Miami River Watershed (Ohio) – Municipal Water Utility

The Miami Conservancy District's Tait Station watershed protection program demonstrates municipal-scale NbS implementation with quantified economic returns. Beginning in 2019, the district invested $8.2 million in wetland restoration, riparian buffer establishment, and agricultural best management practices across 42,000 acres of the contributing watershed. By 2024, monitoring data showed 34% reductions in nitrogen loading and 41% reductions in sediment reaching the intake, translating to documented treatment cost savings of $2.1 million annually. The program's benefit-cost ratio of 3.8:1 over a 20-year project lifetime has attracted additional investment from downstream municipalities and agricultural stakeholders. Key KPIs included: nitrogen reduction efficiency (0.82 kg/hectare/year), sediment reduction (14.3 tons/hectare/year), and avoided infrastructure costs ($156 per acre protected).

Example 2: Port of Los Angeles – Industrial Harbor Resilience

The Port of Los Angeles' Living Seawall Initiative illustrates NbS integration in heavy industrial settings. Launched in 2022 with a $15.7 million investment, the program installed 3.2 miles of living shoreline structures combining engineered reef elements with native oyster and mussel habitat. By 2025, monitoring documented wave energy attenuation of 52% during storm events, reduced bulkhead maintenance costs of $890,000 annually, and biodiversity increases including 340% growth in juvenile fish populations. The project also generates verified ecosystem credits valued at $1.2 million annually through California's wetland mitigation banking program. Port Authority KPIs include: infrastructure protection value ($4,200 per linear foot per year), biodiversity net gain index (+2.4), and insurance premium reduction (8.5% across protected terminals).

Example 3: General Mills Regenerative Agriculture Program – Agricultural Supply Chain

General Mills' commitment to advance regenerative agriculture on 1 million acres by 2030 represents large-scale NbS integration into agricultural supply chains. The program, which reached 585,000 enrolled acres by 2024, combines cover cropping, reduced tillage, diverse crop rotations, and integrated livestock grazing across supplier operations. Third-party verification through Regrow Ag's platform documented average soil organic carbon increases of 0.4% annually (approximately 3.2 metric tons CO2e per hectare per year sequestered). The company's sustainable sourcing premiums of $12-18 per ton for verified regenerative grain incentivize farmer adoption while generating Scope 3 emissions reductions. Benchmark KPIs include: soil organic carbon change (+0.4%/year), water infiltration improvement (+23%), input cost reduction (-12% for fertilizers), and verified carbon credits (3.2 tCO2e/ha/year).

Action Checklist

FAQ

Q: How do we quantify the ROI of nature-based solutions for our CFO and board?

A: Financial quantification requires capturing multiple value streams that conventional infrastructure investments often ignore. Start with direct cost avoidance: reduced stormwater fees (typically $2-5 per square foot for green infrastructure), lower flood damage exposure (document baseline insurance costs and modeled reductions), and avoided infrastructure maintenance. Layer in monetized ecosystem services using established protocols from the Natural Capital Coalition's Natural Capital Protocol. Carbon sequestration value can be calculated using current voluntary market prices ($15-50/ton CO2e depending on quality attributes). For water utilities, treatment cost savings are directly measurable through monitoring. Insurance premium reductions require engagement with your carrier's risk engineering team to document NbS effectiveness. Finally, include avoided regulatory costs—particularly relevant given SEC climate disclosure requirements that may create liability exposure for unmitigated physical risks.

Q: What verification standards should we require from NbS project developers?

A: Insist on third-party verification using recognized methodologies. For forest and land-based carbon, require Verra's Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) or Gold Standard certification. For agricultural carbon, the Climate Action Reserve's Soil Enrichment Protocol provides rigorous permanence and additionality standards. Water quality benefits should be verified using EPA-accepted monitoring protocols with baseline-intervention-control design. Biodiversity claims should align with Science Based Targets for Nature (SBTN) measurement approaches. Critically, require monitoring technology that enables ongoing performance verification—satellite-based platforms like Pachama or Upstream Tech provide independent data streams that don't rely solely on project developer self-reporting. Contractually require annual verification reports and build in clawback provisions if claimed benefits fail to materialize.

Q: How do NbS investments relate to SEC climate disclosure requirements?

A: The SEC's climate disclosure rule requires disclosure of material climate-related risks, including physical risks from extreme weather events. Nature-based solutions directly mitigate these physical risks, making NbS investments relevant to required risk management disclosures. Companies implementing NbS should document: (1) physical risk assessments that identified intervention needs, (2) specific NbS investments made to address identified risks, (3) quantified risk reduction achieved, and (4) ongoing monitoring protocols. Additionally, NbS with verified carbon sequestration benefits contribute to Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions calculations required under the rule. For companies subject to CSRD, nature-related disclosures are even more extensive, requiring documentation of nature dependencies, impacts, and transition plans—NbS investments address all three categories.

Q: What's the typical timeline from NbS project initiation to measurable benefits?

A: Timelines vary significantly by solution type. Green stormwater infrastructure (bioswales, rain gardens, permeable pavement) typically delivers measurable stormwater quantity and quality benefits within 6-12 months of installation, once vegetation establishes. Constructed wetlands require 2-3 years for full hydric soil development and optimal nutrient removal performance. Forest-based carbon projects achieve maximum sequestration rates at 8-15 years post-establishment. Agricultural soil carbon projects show measurable increases within 3-5 years of practice changes. Coastal living shorelines typically achieve design wave attenuation within 12-18 months as oyster or marsh communities establish. For 90-day implementation timelines, focus on solutions with rapid benefit curves (green infrastructure, wetland enhancement of existing systems) rather than de novo ecosystem creation.

Q: How do we address NbS permanence risks in long-term planning?

A: Permanence—the risk that carbon stored or ecosystem services provided may be reversed—is a legitimate concern requiring explicit risk management. For carbon-focused investments, require projects with permanence buffers (typically 10-20% of credits held in reserve pools) and insurance products covering reversal events. Diversify across geography and ecosystem type to reduce correlated risks. For infrastructure-protective NbS, design redundancy into systems and maintain conventional backup capacity during initial performance verification periods. Contractually, structure long-term service agreements with NbS developers that include performance guarantees and maintenance obligations extending 20+ years. Monitor continuously using remote sensing platforms that can detect early warning signs of ecosystem degradation. Finally, recognize that some permanence risk is inherent in any long-term investment—compare NbS permanence profiles to gray infrastructure asset lives (typically 25-50 years with ongoing maintenance requirements) for appropriate risk contextualization.

Sources

World Economic Forum. (2024). Nature Risk Rising: Why the Crisis Engulfing Nature Matters for Business and the Economy. Geneva: WEF.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2024). Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters: 2023 Summary. Washington, DC: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.
US Army Corps of Engineers. (2024). Natural and Nature-Based Features: Benefits and Performance Assessment for Flood Risk Reduction. Washington, DC: USACE.
Securities and Exchange Commission. (2024). The Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors: Final Rule. 17 CFR 210, 229, 230, 232, 239, and 249.
European Commission. (2023). Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive: Implementation Guidance for Third-Country Companies. Brussels: EC.
McKinsey & Company. (2025). Nature in the Balance: Corporate Performance and Nature-Related Risk Management. McKinsey Sustainability Practice Report.
Natural Climate Solutions Alliance. (2024). Measurement and Verification Standards for Corporate Natural Climate Solutions. London: NCSA.
Indigo Agriculture. (2024). Carbon by Indigo: 2024 Market Report and Farmer Outcomes. Boston: Indigo Ag.

Playbook: adopting nature-based solutions in 90 days (angle 6)