We reflect on the nexus of nature and health and how it relates to business.

In anticipation of the upcoming 2026 Nature Action Dialogues, we reflect on emerging nature-related themes impacting businesses. One key theme is health and nature. In 2025’s dialogues, UNEP-WCMC, together with Globalbalance hosted a roundtable titled “The Health–Nature Nexus: The Case for Business Leadership”.   

The 2025 Nature Action Dialogues convened over 200 leaders from business, finance and conservation to catalyze private sector action to halt and reverse nature loss. The dialogues explored the interconnections between biodiversity loss and human health, and the role of the private sector in driving integrated solutions.   

Diving deeper into these connections, a panel discussion featuring Stora Enso, Nestlé, Chiesi Group, and the Global Climate & Health Alliance explored the business case for action, barriers to progress and examples of actions already underway. We explore the session’s key findings. 

Why the link between human health and nature matters 

The link between human health and nature is increasingly clear and requires urgent action. Degradation, or even loss of biodiversity and ecosystems undermines the essential services that support good human health—from clean air and water to food security, mental wellbeing and protection from disease. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) nexus assessment and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Global Action Plan on Biodiversity and Health, both adopted in 2024, provide strong scientific and policy frameworks for understanding and addressing these interdependencies.  

For the private sector, this is not just a sustainability issue - it is a strategic one. The environmental burden of disease is rising, further compounding the systemic, nature-related risks to business operations, supply chains and long-term resilience. At the same time, integrated action on nature and health can unlock innovation, reputation gains and new market value. 

The business case for action 

The roundtable revealed that there is no question that the nature-health nexus provides a compelling business case for action. Reasons to act include: 

• Resilient systems: Nature-positive strategies that support human well-being support business continuity and long-term operational resilience. 

• Labour productivity: Healthy environments contribute to healthier, more productive employees and a stable workforce. 

• Value creation and risk management: Integrated approaches help deliver added value and avoid costs linked to health impacts associated with ecosystem failure and environmental degradation. 

• Maximizing impact: A systems-thinking approach allows companies to model positive feedback loops and reconfigure strategies for greater overall benefit to nature and human well-being. 

• Competence and leadership: Building internal knowledge and capability on nature-health interlinkages positions companies as forward-looking and socially responsible. 

Barriers to integration 

The following barriers to adopting an integrated approach to managing health and biodiversity were identified: 

• Attribution challenges: Difficulty in linking nature-based actions directly to health outcomes and existing gaps in research on some interactions between nature and health. 

• Siloed structures: Health and environment are often managed separately within organisations and across government funding streams. 

• Lack of integrated tools: Current metrics underestimate risks and do not sufficiently capture the co-benefits of action at the health-nature nexus. 

• Incentive gaps: Limited market or policy incentives to act across sectors. 

• Knowledge and skills: Companies may have expertise on biodiversity and/or health but the integration of this knowledge to deliver joined up strategies and workplans is lacking, as are integrated resources. 

• Complex governance landscape: Fragmented policy frameworks (i.e. lack of integrated health and environment policies) can hinder cohesive business engagement.

Examples of Private Sector Contributions

Despite these barriers, companies across the private sector have shared how they are aiming to address the nature and health nexus. For example: 

• Stora Enso: Biodiversity leadership programmes with actions for net-positive impact and promotion of public access to forests, supporting health through outdoor access. 

• Nestlé: Regenerative agriculture and reforestation in sourcing landscapes, with growing efforts to connect nutrition, biodiversity, and wellbeing. 

• Chiesi: Net zero commitments and sustainable medical products and respiratory care, including innovation to reduce environmental impacts of inhalers. 

Advancing integrated action 

The session highlighted the variety of nature-related contributions that can be made to address the health and well-being of employees, communities and consumers at different stages of value chains and across sectors. It was recognized, however, that more actions are needed. These include action to: 

• Embed health into nature strategies - and vice versa across corporate guidelines, sustainability targets, and cross-functional planning to drive systemic change beyond standalone initiatives. 

• Foster cross-sector collaboration to share best practices and align health and nature priorities across value chains and industries. 

• Enhance synergies between multilateral frameworks in health and the environment to build coherent, mutually reinforcing strategies. 

• Improve general knowledge on biodiversity-health interlinkages, spanning ecosystems, ecological scales, and health disciplines. 

• Promote public–private cooperation and leverage positive peer pressure to scale solutions and accelerate the transition toward healthier people and a healthier planet. 

• Innovate business models that integrate nature and health outcomes to ensure long-term, inclusive value creation. 

• Support targeted research that builds the evidence base on the co-benefits of private sector engagement in the health-nature nexus and informs future strategy design 

UNEP-WCMC and Globalbalance are actively exploring how best to take this agenda forward—identifying pathways, partnerships and practical actions to strengthen the links between nature, health, and resilient economies. 

This briefing summarizes key insights from the roundtable and is intended to inform and inspire further dialogue. The views expressed reflect the discussion and do not necessarily represent the official positions of all participating organisations.

Main image: An active female traveler with a bright hiking backpack, Adobe Stock #1324609769