Natural Capital Accounting for Finance and Business​ ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

22 Oct 2025 | Helsinki, Finland

Pre-summit training on Natural Capital Accounting for Finance and Business

22 October 2025, Helsinki, Finland

How can we put nature on the balance sheet?

On the day before the European Business & Nature Summit (EBNS) kicks off in Helsinki, the Ecosystem Services Partnership (ESP) invites you to join a unique one-day, in-depth live training on Natural Capital Accounting (NCA) for finance and business.

Natural Capital Accounting is rapidly becoming a cornerstone for companies and financial institutions striving to understand, measure, and manage their dependencies and impacts on nature. With increasing attention from regulators, investors, and society, the ability to connect ecological realities with financial decision-making has never been more relevant.

The training will be focused on the accounting of Ecosystem Services and will offer examples on how to link to the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) LEAP framework.

Participants will gain clarity on:

• The integrated accounting structure that connects ecosystems, their services and the socio-economic units

• Which are the relevant features to assess and value Ecosystem Services for accounting purposes

• Where Natural Capital Accounting and ESV data can support the LEAP process

• How companies and financial institutions can strengthen their nature-related risk management using these approaches

This training offers you:

• A deep dive into state-of-the-art NCA, and specifically on the criteria to assess Ecosystem Services for accounting purposes (a) in theory by explaining both the accounting and ecological pillars, (b) in practice by running the Ecosystem Services Accounting – Compatibility Assessment Tool (ESA-CAT)

• Guidance from international experts from the Joint Research Centre (JRC), Value Balancing Alliance, and ESP

• Insights about the possible application to finance and business contexts, also aligned with TNFD

• Direct connections to the EBNS community, ensuring what you learn translates into action at Europe’s leading business-nature forum

The session is hosted at Sitra’s facilities in Helsinki (capacity: 50 participants) and offered free of charge thanks to the collaboration of ESP, JRC, Sitra, and the Value Balancing Alliance. Whether you are a sustainability professional, financial decision-maker, or business leader, this is your chance to double down on integrating nature into finance – and to prepare for two powerful days of dialogue and action at EBNS.

The training session will be held in-person, please note that it is not possible to participate online.

Speakers

Alessandra La Notte

European Dynamics SA under contract for the European Commission

Lead of ESP Thematic Working Group 17 - ES Accounting and Greening the Economy

Domenico Pisani

Joint Research Center of the European Commission

Moderated by

Mieke Siebers

Foundation for Sustainable Development

Ecosystem Services Partnership Netherlands

Guest speaker

Johannes Förster

Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ Lead Nature

Value Balancing Alliance VBA

Program

Below is the draft program for the training. Changes and additional details may follow in the coming weeks.

09:30 – 12:30 | Morning Session

A theoretical module introducing:

• The principles of natural capital accounting rules and mechanisms

• The ecological foundations of ecosystem services and their flows

• Concrete example on the accounting of Ecosystem Services in physical and monetary terms

• Concrete example of nature-related risk assessment based on natural capital accounting and how this connects to the LEAP framework of the TNFD

13:30 – 16:30 | Afternoon Session

Introduction on the Ecosystem Services Accounting - Compatibility Assessment Tool (ESA – CAT)

A hands-on practical exercise where participants will:

• Apply ESA - CAT to real-world cases

• Explore what kinds of NCA results are suitable for which types of users and uses

• Discuss implications for finance, business, and policy contexts

By the end of the training, participants will have a clear view of:

• The ecological and accounting principles underpinning Ecosystem Services assessment and valuation and where to find reliable sources of information

• How to apply these insights beyond national accounting, with special attention to the TNFD LEAP framework

• What opportunities exist to integrate nature’s value into finance and business decision-making

Join the ESP Community

The challenges of our time — climate change, biodiversity loss, and the urgent need for sustainable business models — cannot be solved in isolation. They require community, collaboration, and shared expertise.

By becoming a member of the Ecosystem Services Partnership (ESP), you or your organisation join a global network of more than 3,000 scientists, practitioners, businesses, and policymakers who are working together to make nature count.

ESP members benefit from:

• Access to a worldwide knowledge community and 40+ thematic and sectoral working groups

• Opportunities to contribute to and benefit from cutting-edge ecosystem services research and applications

• Discounts and priority access to ESP conferences and events — including the 6th European ESP Conference in Prague, May 2026

• A platform to showcase your work and connect with peers and potential partners

Both individual and institutional memberships are available. By joining as an institution, your organisation demonstrates leadership and commitment to placing nature at the heart of decision-making.

Become a member today and help strengthen the global ecosystem services community.

Organised by

In partnership with

Location

The Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra

Itämerenkatu 11-13

00180 Helsinki

Finland

Funding Acknowledgement

This training is offered free of charge thanks to the collaboration of ESP, JRC, Sitra, and the Value Balancing Alliance, and is partly funded by the EU Horizon Europe project SELINA (grant agreement no. 101060415).

Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

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