With the natural world declining rapidly and biodiversity and ecosystems disappearing at alarming rates, a new worldview known as Nature Positive continues to gain momentum and drive transformational change. However, major challenges remain, especially in terms of implementing measurable mechanisms and tools delivering investable nature-positive outcomes.
With these constraints in mind, business leaders, World Bank executives, sustainability experts and communities recently gathered at the MFLF Sustainability Forum 2026 organised by The Mae Fah Luang Foundation (MFLF), to share knowledge and discuss the path to becoming nature positive.
Thanphuying Putrie Viravaidya, Chairperson of Mae Fah Luang Foundation, told participants that “Nature Positive: Making Nature the New Normal” is not about going beyond limitations to minimise impacts or offset damage, but requires serious efforts to collectively restore, protect and enhance nature by making environmental factors a normal standard of decision-making at every level – from policy-making and investment to area-based management and business operations.
Making nature the new normal is therefore not a burden on development but a design for the future, one that will enable nature to serve as critical infrastructure that strengthens food security, reduces disaster risks and creates new opportunities for sustainable economic growth.
Nature Positive Finance
The financial sector recognises that nature is critical economic infrastructure. The question is how to ensure that capital can flow to nature-based investments.
Sarinee Achavanuntakul, Executive Director of the Climate Finance Network Thailand, stressed that Natural Capital measurement is extremely important and more complicated than the carbon footprint. It cannot be calculated as Biodiversity Credits, because areas have major differences in local biodiversity. Financiers need a simple measurable system, not an ineffective channel that relies on greenwashing.
She believes that a solid financial structure can solve the problems and restore nature. However, the financial instruments must focus on both outputs and outcomes, covering the short, intermediate and long terms. Developing financial innovations that allow for trustworthiness in investments remains a major challenge.
Kwanpadh Suddhi-Dhamakit, Senior Country Officer at The World Bank, said that the first step is to develop Natural Capital Accounting, a framework that measures nature’s stocks including forests, water, soil, minerals and biodiversity. The second is to link natural assets more clearly to economic strategy.
While common data, disclosure and risk management standards are needed, incentives and blended finance must also be created to de-risk investment.
In an effort to turn pilot schemes into investable nature-positive outcomes, The World Bank signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), and Kasikornthai Foundation in June 2026, to collaboratively study and develop a Natural Capital framework. Far from traditional conservation, this partnership aims to elevate national watershed management in the “Nan Sandbox” to a living learning space, trialling international economic tools to pave the way for balanced and sustainable growth.
Pipit Aneaknithi, Chairman of Global Sustainability at Kasikornbank, expressed the view that financial institutions should not wait for the established Natural Capital Accounting rules, which might take a decade to come into effect. The public, private and social sector should jointly develop mechanisms and a governance structure to move Natural Capital forward, making it a new asset class.
He expressed surprise that more than 40% of philanthropic spending in Thailand comes from individuals and that corporate philanthropic activities continue to be fragmented. With supportive governance, philanthropic spending for nature can be unified, scaled and channelled effectively, he said.
Unified and mobilised corporate philanthropic efforts can unlock the transition of turning environmental externalities into market-ready enterprise value, he added.
Raweewan Bhuridej, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment said that the government sector requires accurate measurements to obtain the net gain from biodiversity.
In the meantime, the ministry is accelerating measures to turn the draft of the Biodiversity Act into law. Following its approval by the National Committee on Conservation and Utilisation of Biodiversity and the Finance Ministry, the ministry is now preparing to submit the draft act to the Cabinet.
In addition to ensuring fair and equitable access and benefit sharing (ABS) in the use of genetic resources and mechanisms to protect biological resources, the act also aims to increase Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs).
Moreover, the act will enable Thailand to ratify the Nagoya Protocol (an international agreement to ensure the fair and equitable access and benefit sharing in using genetic resources). The Nagoya Protocol came into force on 12 October 2014, and has been signed by over 50 countries including the UK, the EU, and 7 Asean members.
Nature Positive refers to measurable outcomes that contribute to halting and reversing nature loss with significant benefits to society. According to the World Bank, nearly half of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP) is linked to biodiversity and the broad range of benefits known as ecosystem services.
