Frontiers in Science Lead Article
Published on 09 Apr 2026
Nature Positive: halting and reversing biodiversity loss toward restoring Earth system stability
Frontiers in Science
doi 10.3389/fsci.2026.1609998
- 62,669 views
- 2 citations
Lead article
Expert insights
ARTICLE EVENT
Discussion with the article authors
Join Harvey Locke (Nature Positive, IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, USA), Prof Johan Rockström (Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Germany). Prof Raina K. Plowright (Cornell University, UK), and Robyn Seetal (IkTaar Advisory, USA) for a complimentary virtual symposium on next steps for restoring Earth system stability.
Date & time: 28 May 2026 at 16:00 CEST
Frontiers in Science Editorial
Published on 09 Apr 2026
Nature Positive across scales: from global biodiversity goals to Earth system stability
Prof Andrew Gonzalez, McGill University, Canada — Advancing global Nature Positive goals calls for biodiversity targets, governance, and financial mechanisms that operate across ecological scales and political borders, with intact ecosystems prioritized to achieve Earth-system stability.
Frontiers in Science Viewpoint
Published on 09 Apr 2026
From biodiversity and ecosystem services assessments to a Nature Positive future: lessons from global and national science-policy efforts
Prof Carlos Alfredo Joly, Brazilian Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, Brazil — Nature Positive integrates and updates decades of global and national assessments, moving beyond restoration to emphasize biome integrity and processes sustaining Earth’s habitability.
POLICY OUTLOOK
Published on 09 Apr 2026
Sustainability policies’ secret sauce: rigorous but practical measurements
Marco Lambertini, Nature Positive Initiative, Switzerland — Universal, practical metrics and standards are needed to turn Nature Positive commitments into credible action by tracking ecosystem recovery and enabling accountability across governments, investors, and the private sector.
POLICY OUTLOOK
Published on 09 Apr 2026
Nature Positive – a positive contribution to holistic frameworks
Drs Isaac Rutenberg, Éliane Ubalijoro, and colleagues, Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry, Kenya — A successful Nature Positive transition requires policy, financial, and institutional levers that center ecological integrity and shift incentives away from extractive models.
Key points
Stabilizing the biophysical components of the Earth system requires a unified “Nature Positive” approach to global environmental goals and governance through greater integration of global agreements for human development, the climate, biodiversity, and the ocean.
To achieve the Nature Positive goal by 2030, the top priority should be preventing the loss of intact biomes, ecosystems, natural processes, and species assemblages, as they are irreplaceable and cannot be quickly restored. At the same time, urgent efforts to prevent species extinction and restore nature remain essential.
The Three Conditions Framework serves as a strategic approach to halt and reverse the loss of both the processes (biotic and abiotic) and patterns (species distribution and assembly) of biodiversity, as these are integral components of the Earth system, and to ensure sustainable use.
Incorporating traditional knowledge and practices, which are rooted in responsibility to the living world and inherently include awareness of biotic and abiotic processes, is essential to achieving the Nature Positive goal.
The Nature Positive shift requires transforming our economic system to work within the Earth system and equitably support human development.
For all readers
EXPLAINER
Published on 09 Apr 2026
Nature Positive: why protecting intact nature comes first—and what success could look like
A summary of the lead article in a Q&A format, with a video.
Frontiers for Young Minds
Published on 09 Apr 2026
Nature Positive: How Protecting Nature Protects Us
A version of the lead article written for—and peer reviewed by—kids aged 8-15 years.
News
PRESS RELEASE
Published on 09 Apr 2026
Frontiers in Science: Halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030 critical to avoid disastrous effects on human well-being
Immediate call for global action to shift world towards a “Nature Positive” approach is published in Frontiers in Science. (Photos: Harvey Locke (Nature Positive, IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, USA), Prof Johan Rockström (Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Germany), Prof Raina K. Plowright (Cornell University, USA), and Prof Leroy Little Bear (University of Lethbridge, Canada).
NEWS STORY
Published on 22 Apr 2026
For Earth Day, consider the buffalo and how everything depends on nature
Nature is not a resource to exploit, but the system on which everything else depends.
NEWS STORY
Published on 09 Apr 2026
Meeting climate targets requires humanity to reorient its relationship with nature, new study says
A team including scientists, Indigenous people and conservationists point to the ecosystem connecting Yellowstone and the Yukon as an example of a region where humans and nature are flourishing together.
PRESS RELEASE
Published on 10 Apr 2026
New paper highlights need to measure progress towards Nature Positive
An important paper, 'Nature Positive: halting and reversing biodiversity loss toward restoring Earth system stability', has been published by the journal Frontiers in Science.
NEWS STORY
Published on 12 Apr 2026
Biodiversity loss must stop by 2030 to protect Earth’s life-support systems
Biodiversity loss must be halted by 2030 to keep the Earth’s life-support systems stable, according to new research.
PRESS RELEASE
Published on 14 Apr 2026
Cornell University: Halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030 critical to avoid disastrous effects on human well-being
Halting and reversing the global decline in biodiversity is now urgent to avoid destabilizing the Earth’s vital systems that support human well-being. That’s the stark message of a new paper published in Frontiers in Science.
NEWS STORY
Published on 09 Apr 2026
Immediate call for global action to shift towards a “Nature Positive” approach published today in Frontiers in Science
In the paper out today from Frontiers in Science, “Nature Positive: halting and reversing biodiversity loss toward restoring Earth system stability,” ten global authors show a clear path forward. The goal is to have more thriving nature on Earth and be “Nature Positive.”