London, UK – January 28, 2026

Social Carbon Foundation (SCF) today announced the launch of the Nature Stewardship Framework (NSF), a new, science-backed framework to measure, verify and finance biodiversity and community outcomes across nature-based projects — independently or alongside carbon.

Co-developed with Natural State, the Nature Stewardship Framework has been built from lived project experience, combining on-the-ground implementation insight with rigorous standards-setting. As scrutiny of biodiversity and social claims increases, NSF addresses a critical gap in nature finance: while carbon accounting quantifies emissions reductions, it does not, on its own, demonstrate ecosystem health or social impact.

“The Nature Stewardship Framework is the missing integrity layer in nature finance,” said Mike Davies, CEO. “By co-developing NSF with Natural State and project partners, we ensured it responds to real-world project needs while delivering credible, quantified outcomes for biodiversity and communities.”

Designed for integration, not fragmentation, NSF works alongside carbon and insetting programmes, reinforcing Social Carbon Foundation’s system-level approach to high-integrity nature-based solutions. The framework can be applied flexibly — to strengthen co-benefit claims, support standalone impact finance and philanthropy, or enable the issuance of Nature Stewardship Credits where appropriate.

Early adopters include Sustainable Carbon Group, Apolonia and C3 Ambiental, who are already applying NSF across diverse land-use contexts to quantify and finance verified social and biodiversity outcomes.

For buyers, NSF provides confidence that projects deliver impact beyond carbon. For investors, it offers de-risked exposure to verified co-benefits. For project developers, it creates a credible pathway to monetise impact beyond carbon revenues. For NGOs and donors, it delivers an independent, science-backed way to track and demonstrate funding impact.

With the launch of the Nature Stewardship Framework, Social Carbon Foundation reinforces its role as the integrity backbone across carbon, insetting and biodiversity, enabling nature finance to move from unverified claims to measurable, lasting outcomes.

View an overview pack: here

View the Framework: here

About the Social Carbon Foundation

Social Carbon Foundation develops tools and frameworks that align climate integrity with social justice. Its mission is to empower vulnerable communities with the resources, recognition, and revenue they need to protect ecosystems and build resilient futures.

Media Contact:

Ian Short
Chief Operating Officer
Email: news@socialcarbon.org
Website: www.socialcarbon.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/social-carbon/