By 2030, Dominica aims to enable businesses and financial actors to assess, disclose and reduce biodiversity risks and impacts, including through biodiversity safeguards in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), and incentives for enterprises that benefit nature. The target promotes responsible business practices and investment decisions that recognise dependencies on biodiversity and ecosystem services. It supports transparent reporting, effective safeguards and practical measures to reduce negative impacts and increase positive contributions to conservation, sustainable use and resilient livelihoods.
Dominica aims to establish a practical business and biodiversity framework, supported by appropriate policy, administrative and regulatory measures. Guidance and reporting tools will help businesses and financial actors identify, monitor and disclose biodiversity-related dependencies, risks and impacts, with initial attention to activities with significant potential effects. Priority actions include strengthening biodiversity requirements in project-level EIA and applying biodiversity-inclusive SEA to relevant policies, plans and programmes. Assessments will consider ecosystem services, cumulative impacts and measures to avoid and minimise harm, supported by clear approval conditions and follow-up monitoring. Implementation will develop biodiversity screening tools for lending and investment, accessible disclosure templates and appropriate reporting arrangements. Incentives, procurement criteria and technical support will encourage enterprises that deliver demonstrable biodiversity benefits. Credible certification, labelling and public information will help consumers make informed choices. Coordination among relevant institutions, businesses and communities will support consistent application, transparent decisions and monitoring of outcomes.
| Global Targets | Degree of Alignment |
GBF-T15. Businesses assess and disclose biodiversity dependencies, impacts and risks, and reduce negative impacts GBF-T15. Businesses assess and disclose biodiversity dependencies, impacts and risks, and reduce negative impactsTake legal, administrative or policy measures to encourage and enable business, and in particular to ensure that large and transnational companies and financial institutions:
(a) Regularly monitor, assess, and transparently disclose their risks, dependencies and impacts on biodiversity, including with requirements for all large as well as transnational companies and financial institutions along their operations, supply and value chains and portfolios;
(b) Provide information needed to consumers to promote sustainable consumption patterns;
(c) Report on compliance with access and benefit-sharing regulations and measures, as applicable;
in order to progressively reduce negative impacts on biodiversity, increase positive impacts, reduce biodiversity-related risks to business and financial institutions, and promote actions to ensure sustainable patterns of production. | Medium |
Access to financial resources: The target supports biodiversity-informed investment and incentives, alongside financing for assessment tools, reporting capacity and enterprises that benefit biodiversity.
Collective effort towards the targets: Implementation promotes shared responsibility among public institutions, businesses, financial actors and communities for managing biodiversity risks and impacts.
Consistency with international agreements or instruments: The framework supports biodiversity conservation and sustainable use under the Convention on Biological Diversity, including relevant assessment, disclosure and benefit-sharing considerations.
Cooperation and synergies: The target connects business practices and finance with environmental assessment, spatial planning, sustainable production and enterprise development.
Ecosystem approach: Assessments will consider ecological connections, cumulative impacts and dependencies on ecosystem services across landscapes and seascapes.
Intergenerational equity: Responsible business and investment decisions will help maintain biodiversity and ecosystem services that support future livelihoods and well-being.
National circumstances, priorities and capabilities: Implementation reflects Dominica’s small island economy, dependence on natural resources, disaster exposure and the capacity of domestic businesses and institutions.
Principles of the Rio Declaration: Prevention, precaution, environmental assessment, public participation, access to information and polluter responsibility will guide safeguards and disclosure arrangements.
Science and innovation: Biodiversity data, spatial screening, monitoring and practical assessment methods will support credible reporting and informed investment decisions.
Whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach: Implementation promotes institutional coordination and inclusive engagement with businesses, financial actors, the Kalinago people and local communities.
National Target 15 addresses key elements of GBF Target 15 by enabling business and financial actors to assess, disclose and reduce biodiversity risks and impacts. Its emphasis on EIA and SEA safeguards and incentives provides practical means to improve decisions and encourage positive biodiversity outcomes. The current wording establishes an enabling commitment rather than explicitly requiring regular assessment and transparent disclosure by large and transnational companies and financial institutions. It also does not expressly address dependencies, supply and value chains, financial portfolios, consumer information or reporting on access and benefit-sharing compliance where applicable. These are areas for further clarification as implementation measures are developed, rather than evidence of deliberate exclusion. Any future reassessment can consider the scope and status of agreed national measures and their coverage of these elements.
No formal non-State actor commitments are recorded towards this national target. Opportunities for voluntary business commitments and partnerships can be further developed during implementation.
Additional financing, technical assistance and institutional capacity are needed to develop practical biodiversity assessment, disclosure and investment-screening systems. Priorities include updated EIA and SEA guidance, reliable baseline and spatial information, sector-specific tools, reporting templates and effective monitoring of approval conditions. Training and accessible guidance will support businesses, financial actors and public institutions in applying these measures. Appropriate reporting arrangements and stronger coordination will help connect environmental assessment, investment, incentives and compliance monitoring. Financial and technical support is also needed for enterprises that deliver measurable biodiversity benefits. Implementation will account for business capacity, data limitations, financing constraints and the need for credible methods to assess and report outcomes.