In this episode of The Nature Pledge podcast, we dive into the upcoming flagship report from UNDP, the 2026 Human Development Report (HDR), with Pedro Conceição, the Director of the Human Development Report Office. Together we explore what might result if business and society invested in a more constructive, mutually beneficial relationship between people and nature.

UNDP’s flagship report aims to shift our global dialoguetoward “constructive agency” to promote a reconnection between people and the planet. But just how feasible is this? And are we asking too much from business and society in this time of armed conflict and economic uncertainty?

Today, the degradation of our ecosystems is increasingly recognized as an economic, public health and national security priority. A recent security assessment by the British government has explored how environmental degradation can disrupt food, water, health and supply chains, and trigger wider geopolitical instability. A recently released assessment by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystems or IPBES outlines how economies are being undermined by the rapid deterioration of natural capital.

How can these new understandings intensify nature performance in Asia and the Pacific Region? Helping us to clarify the challenge and the solutions, we speak to the UK's FCDO Regional Director on Climate, Nature and Energy, and the Regional Director on Health.

In this episode of The Nature Pledge, we consider the power of corporate benchmarking in nudging us towards a nature positive economy. Benchmarking the biodiversity performance of large enterprises can help us understand progress and incentivize further action. And as importantly, corporate rankings and indexes can tell us a great deal about how further there is left to go in mitigating the drivers of biodiversity loss.

Recently, the World Benchmarking Alliance – or WBA – released its 2026 Nature Benchmark report. Perhaps, unsurprisingly, WBA’s 2026 assessment of the world's most influential companies produced some rather alarming results: Only 14% of companies in their overall survey reported on their nature impacts. Of these, the global average score for the quality of their nature reporting was a paltry 17.3 out of 100.

What accounts for these failing grades? And how do we shrink the vast distance between corporate reporting, action and the global biodiversity goals?

Listen in to our latest episode to find out!