Image: lubasi ( CC BY-SA 2.0 )
What it is
ENCORE (Exploring Natural Capital Opportunities, Risks and Exposure) is a free online tool from Global Canopy, the UNEP Finance Initiative, and UNEP-WCMC. It helps financial institutions and companies explore how production processes depend on and impact nature. TNFD and related frameworks often point to it.
Problem it targets
Banks and companies adopting TNFD still need a free screening layer that links economic activities to nature dependencies and impacts before deep site surveys.
How it works
Users explore links between economic activities, ecosystem services, and impact drivers in an updated knowledge base. The July 2024 upgrade (SUSTAIN project) refined materiality ratings, ecosystem detail, and value-chain links. Those data were later integrated into the Explore and Natural Capital modules.
Status and players
A public web tool. ENCORE’s public materials report tens of thousands of registered users. Institutions use it as a first pass into TNFD LEAP-style assessments.
Risks and limits
ENCORE is a materiality and pathway screen, not a site survey and not a green light for a project. It does not replace spatial biodiversity data, licence conditions, or community consultation. Location-specific evidence is still required for decisions and disclosures.
Sources
ENCORE hub and the July 2024 upgrade note; TNFD tools catalogue. An open nature-risk screen, not a finished biodiversity account.