Mainstreaming biodiversity into Thailand’s finance and business sectors

Thailand has adopted a national plan to protect its biodiversity, in line with the global goals agreed in Montreal in 2022 (Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework). Its “Bio-Circular-Green” (BCG) economic model depends directly on healthy nature. Yet biodiversity finance is still in its early stages. Since late 2022, AFD and ONEP have been leading, together with Thai partners, a dialogue called “Finance for Biodiversity” (Fin4Bio). More than 50 public and private organisations were consulted. At the Fin4Bio Forum on 19 February 2024, 33 partners jointly adopted six recommendations.

The programme is the foundational phase (2025–2026) of Fin4Bio’s implementation. It is built around several priorities and coordination support to ONEP.

A national framework for biodiversity. Experts mobilised by AFD help ONEP design a policy and regulatory framework to integrate biodiversity into business operations and financial practices in priority sectors. The framework notably includes:

• a classification of biodiversity-friendly activities (“taxonomy”);

• financing mechanisms;

• the measurement and disclosure of companies’ impacts on nature.

It pursues two complementary objectives: reducing the negative impacts of companies and financial institutions (“Greening Finance”), and catalysing activities and investments that benefit biodiversity (“Financing Green”).

Capacity building on biodiversity mainstreaming. The programme includes a workshop for SMEs and listed companies in nature-dependent sectors (TNFD), a workshop co-hosted with Thai banks to present the IDFC biodiversity tools to financial institutions, and up to three thematic workshops.

• A national biodiversity policy framework guiding businesses and financial institutions in priority sectors, consistent with Thailand’s national plan (5^th NBSAP) and the Kunming-Montreal global goals.

• Companies (SMEs and large listed companies) and financial institutions better equipped to measure, manage and disclose their nature-related risks and impacts, as well as their dependence on nature.

• Biodiversity better reflected in the Thailand Taxonomy of sustainable activities, public incentives and green financial products.

• A multi-stakeholder steering body under ONEP leadership, and a roadmap to scale up the approach.

• Thailand’s regional leadership on biodiversity finance strengthened, building on the Thai–French bilateral dialogue.