Dependencies
Which of 25 ecosystem services the activity relies on for production.
ENCORE dependency pathwaySoftware · nature, cited
Nature software: the LEAP workflow, step by step
Nature software runs a company’s nature-related risk work: finding where its sites meet sensitive nature, mapping what it depends on and what it affects, and turning that into targets and disclosure.
This page walks the TNFD’s LEAP approach phase by phase, names the free and licensed data underneath each step, and sets out where each disclosure route stands; it ranks no product.
What the software does
What does nature software do? Four phases, in order
The TNFD’s LEAP approach, version 2.0 published in October 2026, organises nature-related assessment into four phases: Locate, Evaluate, Assess and Prepare.
Most nature software follows that order, because each phase needs the output of the one before it.
Biodiversity net gain for development in England, a planning duty rather than a corporate workflow, is covered on biodiversity software.
The disclosure tools at the end of the chain are compared on TNFD reporting software.
- 1
Locate
Where operations and value chain meet nature, and which locations are sensitive.
- 2
Evaluate
Dependencies on ecosystem services, and impacts on nature.
- 3
Assess
The nature-related risks and opportunities that follow.
- 4
Prepare
Strategy, targets and disclosure.
Locate
Where do a company’s sites meet sensitive nature? Three global datasets
The Locate phase asks where a company’s operations sit in relation to sensitive ecosystems, which starts from site coordinates and global biodiversity datasets.
IBAT licenses commercial access to three of them — the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the World Database on Protected Areas and the World Database of Key Biodiversity Areas — and produces site reports including a Disclosure Preparation Report.
A basic IBAT account is free, and fees from commercial access fund the maintenance of those datasets.
A nature tool should show which dataset, version and licence sit behind each site flag, because protected-area data carries its own use restrictions.
Locate the interfaceExplore
Locate the interface
Key Biodiversity Areas
Sites significant for the global persistence of biodiversity.
Locate the interface
Site reports
Proximity analysis and a Disclosure Preparation Report.
Evaluate
What does the business depend on, and what does it affect? Two different pathways
ENCORE is a free online tool, run by Global Canopy, UNEP FI and UNEP-WCMC, that maps how the economy depends on and affects nature, and it calls itself a key tool for the LEAP approach.
Its methodology rates which of 25 ecosystem services each of 271 economic activities depends on, and separately which pressures each exerts.
ENCORE lists only direct dependencies and impacts of production, not those through the supply chain, according to its Explore page.
Sector ratings are a screening start, not a site assessment, so a tool should move from sector to site as the work goes on.
One economic
activity
activity
Impacts
Which pressures the activity puts on nature, and how they change ecosystems.
ENCORE impact pathwayAssess and prepare
How are nature targets set? SBTN’s five steps
The Science Based Targets Network sets methods for nature targets in freshwater, land and ocean, and is separate from the SBTi, which handles climate targets, according to SBTN.
Its steps are Assess, Prioritize, Set targets, Act and Track, and SBTN announced version 2.0 of its methods for 13 October 2026.
The TNFD recommends that companies use SBTN methods to set science-based targets for nature, in their joint guidance.
A tool that supports targets should name the SBTN method version it follows, because validated work stays applicable for a set period after a new version.
Disclosure routes
Where can nature disclosure go? Four routes, none mandatory in the UK
The TNFD Recommendations set fourteen disclosures under four pillars — governance, strategy, risk and impact management, and metrics and targets — and are voluntary.
The ISSB is consulting until 19 February 2027 on a Practice Statement for nature, which its own staff paper says is non-mandatory and is not a Standard.
UK SRS S1 asks for information about all sustainability-related risks and opportunities that could reasonably be expected to affect a company’s prospects, under ¶3 of the standard, applied by listed companies on a comply-or-explain basis under PS26/19.
One LEAP record that feeds each route is the practical aim, because a company may answer CDP, report against TNFD and prepare for the ISSB at once.
| Route | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| TNFD Recommendations | Voluntary; 14 disclosures, four pillars | TNFD |
| ISSB nature Practice Statement | Proposed; consultation to 19 February 2027 | IFRS Foundation |
| ESRS E4 | For companies within the EU rules | DR (EU) 2026/1563 |
| CDP | Biodiversity not scored in 2026 | CDP |
Platforms, in their own words
Which platforms describe nature work? Free tools and one registry vendor
One platform in this site’s registry names TNFD among the disclosures it prepares, in its own words.
Two free or freemium data tools, ENCORE and IBAT, sit underneath much of the market and are worth knowing before any demonstration.
Specialist nature platforms not in the registry are not listed here, which says nothing about them; every registry vendor’s claims are on carbon reporting software.
| Tool | What its owner says |
|---|---|
| ASUENE | Trained on 500+ company engagements, generates audit-ready disclosure responses for CDP, SBTi, CSRD, CBAM, IFRS S2, and TNFD. |
| ENCORE | A free, online tool that helps organisations explore their exposure to nature-related risk. |
| IBAT | A biodiversity data provider licensing commercial access to global biodiversity datasets. |
Where things stand
How far has nature reporting got? Commitments, proposals and Parties
TNFD disclosures
14Four pillarsCommitted to TNFD
8022026 Status ReportISSB consultation closes
19 Feb 2027Practice StatementENCORE activities
271Against 25 ecosystem servicesThe TNFD’s 2026 Status Report says 802 organisations have committed to TNFD-aligned disclosure and over 1,000 have published TNFD-aligned reports — two different groups.
Target 15 of the Global Biodiversity Framework asks Parties to take measures to encourage and enable business to monitor, assess and disclose its risks, dependencies and impacts on biodiversity; it binds Parties, not companies, and is not UK law.
IFRS S1 lists sources an entity may consider when identifying sustainability-related risks, which already brings nature into scope where material, under ¶¶54–59 of IFRS S1.
Read the status caveat
Status counts and consultation dates move; this page records them as published by their owners in 2026 and will be re-checked after the ISSB consultation closes.
Nature, in 2026Explore
Nature, in 2026
TNFD adoption
802 committed; over 1,000 have published TNFD-aligned reports.
Nature, in 2026
IFRS S1
Names sources an entity may consider, including biodiversity guidance.
The tests before you sign
How do you test a nature product? Eight questions, each tied to a source
Each question beside this names the framework or data source it comes from and what a passing answer looks like.
Run them on your own site list and sector, because nature risk is local and a demonstration portfolio never sits where your sites do.
This site has tested no products
Nothing on this page is a rating, ranking or recommendation of any product.
Nature software demo questions · tick the ones you need
The pass tests are our reading of the cited provisions.
Nothing you tick is stored or sent.
Nature software, in one sentence
Nature risk starts with where your sites are, so the first output any nature tool owes you is a map you can check.
Takeaways
What to take from this page
| The fact | What to do |
|---|---|
| LEAP v2.0 sets four phases: Locate, Evaluate, Assess, Prepare | Ask for a record from every phase, not just the final report |
| ENCORE is free but covers direct operations only | Screen with it, then add supplier and site data |
| IBAT holds the Red List, protected areas and KBAs | Check each site flag’s dataset, version and licence |
| No nature disclosure is mandatory in the UK | Build one record that can feed TNFD, CDP and a future ISSB statement |
Start with the four phases, then take the demo questions to vendors.
Frequently asked
Nature software, answered
What is nature software?
Software that helps a company assess and manage its relationship with nature: which of its sites sit near sensitive ecosystems, which ecosystem services it depends on, what pressures it puts on nature, which risks and opportunities follow, and how to set targets and disclose.
Most nature software follows the TNFD’s LEAP approach.
What is the LEAP approach?
The TNFD’s guidance for assessing nature-related issues, in four phases: Locate (where the company interfaces with nature), Evaluate (dependencies and impacts), Assess (risks and opportunities) and Prepare (respond and report).
Version 2.0 was published in October 2026.
Is nature reporting mandatory in the UK?
Not as a separate duty.
TNFD is voluntary.
The ISSB is consulting on a non-mandatory Practice Statement on nature-related disclosures until 19 February 2027, and the UK has not mandated it.
UK SRS S1, which listed companies apply on a comply-or-explain basis from 2027, asks for all material sustainability-related risks and opportunities, which can include nature where material.
What free nature data tools exist?
ENCORE is a free online tool from Global Canopy, UNEP FI and UNEP-WCMC that maps how economic activities depend on and affect nature.
IBAT offers a free basic account and paid access to the IUCN Red List, the World Database on Protected Areas and Key Biodiversity Areas.
What is the difference between nature software and biodiversity software?
They overlap.
On this site, biodiversity software covers two specific jobs — biodiversity net gain for development in England and nature disclosure — while nature software covers the whole nature-related risk workflow, from locating sites to setting targets, including water, land and other ecosystem services.
What is SBTN?
The Science Based Targets Network, a separate body from the SBTi, which sets methods for science-based targets for nature (freshwater, land and ocean).
Its steps are Assess, Prioritize, Set targets, Act and Track, and the TNFD recommends SBTN methods for nature targets.
Does ENCORE cover the supply chain?
No. ENCORE lists only the direct potential dependencies and impacts of production processes, to avoid double counting.
Supply-chain nature exposure needs supplier and sourcing data on top.
Does CDP score biodiversity?
Not in the 2026 cycle, according to CDP.
Companies can still answer biodiversity questions, which nature software can help prepare.
How many companies use TNFD?
The TNFD’s 2026 Status Report says 802 organisations have committed to TNFD-aligned disclosure and over 1,000 organisations have published TNFD-aligned reports. These are two different groups.
Do small businesses need nature software?
Rarely.
A small business can screen its sector on ENCORE and its few sites on a free IBAT account.
Software earns its place with many sites, land-intensive supply chains or disclosure commitments.
Has this site tested any nature software?
No. The page is built from the TNFD, ISSB, SBTN, ENCORE and IBAT sources cited, and quotes vendors only in their own words.
Sources
Primary sources
Every framework, date and figure on this page traces to the owner publication listed here.
Checked against 19 sources fromTNFDIFRS FoundationScience Based Targets NetworkTNFD and SBTNENCORE PartnershipIBAT
- TNFDRecommendations of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures
Four pillars and fourteen disclosures; October 2026 updates.
- TNFDThe LEAP approach, version 2.0 (October 2026)
Locate, Evaluate, Assess, Prepare.
- TNFDTNFD 2026 Status Report
802 organisations committed; over 1,000 have published TNFD-aligned reports.
- IFRS FoundationISSB nature-related disclosures consultation (6 October 2026)
A proposed Practice Statement; consultation to 19 February 2027.
- IFRS FoundationISSB staff paper AP3D, April 2026
A Practice Statement is non-mandatory and is not a Standard.
- Science Based Targets NetworkAbout SBTN
Science-based targets for nature; separate from the SBTi.
- Science Based Targets NetworkTake action
Assess, Prioritize, Set targets, Act and Track.
- TNFD and SBTNGuidance for corporates on science-based targets for nature (v1.0)
The TNFD recommends SBTN methods for nature targets.
- ENCORE PartnershipAbout ENCORE
A free online tool from Global Canopy, UNEP FI and UNEP-WCMC.
- ENCORE PartnershipENCORE methodology
271 economic activities against 25 ecosystem services.
- ENCORE PartnershipENCORE Explore
Direct dependencies and impacts only, not the supply chain.
- IBATIBAT services overview (PDF)
The IUCN Red List, the WDPA and Key Biodiversity Areas, with site reports.
- IBATIBAT home
A free basic account; fees fund the underlying datasets.
- EUR-LexCommission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/1563, Annex I — ESRS E4
Biodiversity and ecosystems for companies in the EU rules.
- Convention on Biological DiversityKunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Target 15
Binds Parties, not companies.
- CDPCDP scores
Biodiversity is not scored in the 2026 cycle.
- IFRS FoundationIFRS S1, ¶¶54–59
Sources an entity may consider, including CDSB biodiversity guidance.
- Department for Business and TradeUK SRS S1 General Requirements (PDF), ¶3
All sustainability-related risks and opportunities, not climate alone.
- Financial Conduct AuthorityPS26/19
Comply or explain for periods beginning on or after 1 January 2027.