As of 2025, GRESB has introduced new elements into its Real Estate Assessment to reflect growing interest in biodiversity and nature-related issues. For many real estate professionals, this is the first time biodiversity has appeared in a major ESG benchmark.
The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) has developed guidance to help organizations assess and report on their relationship with nature. GRESB is now drawing from that guidance to shape how real estate assets are expected to disclose their environmental impact.
This article explains how the TNFD framework relates to the GRESB Survey and provides a clear breakdown of how to align with the new biodiversity reporting criteria.
Understanding GRESB’s biodiversity shift
GRESB’s biodiversity shift refers to new requirements in the 2025 Real Estate Assessment that ask property managers to disclose how their buildings depend on, impact, and create risks related to nature. GRESB (Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark) now draws from TNFD guidance to evaluate how real estate assets manage their relationship with ecosystems and wildlife.
In 2025, GRESB added a new question called RM7 that asks whether you have a biodiversity plan and how it considers:
- How your buildings depend on nature
- How your buildings affect nature
- What risks you face from nature-related problems
- What opportunities you might have to improve nature
This is a big change because before 2025, GRESB didn’t really ask much about plants, animals, or ecosystems in its main questions.
The good news? For now, this question doesn’t affect your score. GRESB is just collecting information to see what companies are doing about biodiversity.
Why TNFD matters for real estate
Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures might sound complicated, but it’s actually pretty TNFD is a framework that helps businesses understand how they interact with nature and why it matters financially. Think of it as a nature-focused version of climate reporting—just like we track carbon emissions, TNFD helps track impacts on ecosystems, wildlife, and natural resources.
For real estate, this matters because buildings have a significant effect on nature:
- Water use: Buildings consume water that might otherwise support local ecosystems
- Land use: Properties replace natural habitats with developed areas
- Materials: Construction requires resources that impact forests, mines, and other natural areas
- Pollution: Building operations can release chemicals that harm local wildlife
When these impacts aren’‘t managed well, they create real business problems:
- Flooding risk: Poor stormwater management as natural drainage areas disappear
- Higher cooling costs: Removing trees eliminates natural shade
TNFD helps identify these connections between nature and your bottom line, making it easier to report them in frameworks like GRESB.
Mapping TNFD to GRESB requirements
TNFD and GRESB fit together well. TNFD has four pillars, and each connects to specific GRESB questions.
When filling out GRESB, use your TNFD work to answer these questions. If you’ve identified which executives oversee nature-related issues (TNFD Governance), include that in GRESB question Q2.1 about ESG oversight.
The new biodiversity question (RM7) is where most of your TNFD strategy information will go. This is where you explain how your company thinks about nature, what risks you’‘ve identified, and what you’‘re doing about them.
GRESB updated guidelines for 2026
With GRESB’s 2026 updates, the assessment continues strengthening its alignment with global reporting frameworks while elevating performance-based scoring.
Property companies that structure biodiversity strategies around TNFD’‘s LEAP approach will find natural synergies with GRESB’s requirements. Both frameworks emphasize dependencies, impacts, risks, and opportunities—reducing reporting burden while ensuring consistency across disclosure obligations.
Step-by-step guide to LEAP for GRESB
TNFD created a process called LEAP to help organizations assess their relationship with nature. LEAP stands for Locate, Evaluate, Assess, and Prepare. Here’s how to use it specifically for GRESB reporting:
1. Locate
Map your properties and understand what natural features are nearby. For each property, ask:
- Is it near any natural areas like parks, rivers, or protected lands?
- What plants and animals live in the area?
- Are there any threatened species or ecosystems nearby?
You don’t need expensive software. Free tools include:
WWF Risk Filter: Provides location-specific biodiversity risk assessments
Google Earth: Shows nearby green spaces
City biodiversity maps: Many municipalities publish these online
2. Evaluate
Identify how your buildings depend on and impact nature.
Dependencies might include:
- Trees that provide shade and reduce cooling costs
- Green spaces that absorb rainwater and prevent flooding
- Local plants that filter air pollution
Impacts might include:
- Land that was cleared for construction
- Pesticides used in landscaping that affect local insects
- Light pollution that disrupts animal behavior
- Water runoff from parking lots
List these dependencies and impacts for each property and this information directly answers the RM7 question in GRESB.
3. Assess
Now look at what risks and opportunities these nature relationships create.
Common nature-related risks for buildings include:
- Physical risks: Flooding, erosion, or extreme heat if natural buffers are lost
- Regulatory risks: New laws about land use or biodiversity protection
- Market risks: Changing tenant preferences for greener buildings
- Reputational risks: Community concerns about environmental impacts
Opportunities might include:
- Adding green roofs to reduce heating/cooling costs
- Installing beehives to support pollinators and engage tenants
- Replacing non-native plants with native species to reduce water use
- Creating natural areas that attract tenants and increase property value
4. Prepare
Organize this information for your GRESB response. For RM7, describe your biodiversity strategy, including:
- A summary of your major nature dependencies and impacts
- The biggest risks and opportunities you identified
- Actions you
’‘re taking to address these issues - How you measure progress
Keep it simple and specific:
Strong: “We’ve identified that our downtown properties depend on urban tree canopy for cooling, and we’re working to increase tree coverage by 15% by 2027”
Weak: “We care about biodiversity”
Key metrics to track for GRESB
For the biodiversity section of GRESB, you’ll want to track metrics that show your nature-related performance. Here are some easy-to-measure indicators:
Biodiversity indicators
- Number of plant species on property
- Presence of pollinator species (bees, butterflies, etc.)
- Percentage of native plants in landscaping
Physical site metrics
- Square footage of green roof or biodiverse landscaping
- Percentage of permeable surfaces that allow water absorption
- Number of trees and their canopy coverage
Management practices
- Use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers
- Water consumption for landscaping
- Frequency of biodiversity monitoring
The best metrics are those you can measure consistently over time. Start simple with what you can easily count, then add sophistication as your program develops. For data collection, consider:
- Annual site surveys by maintenance staff
- Photos taken at regular intervals to track changes
- Participation records from tenant engagement events
- Beehive monitoring data if you have an urban beekeeping program
GRESB doesn’t specify which metrics you must track—what matters is showing systematic monitoring of your nature impacts
Streamlining data collection with Alvéole’s Nature-Related Risk Platform
Tracking biodiversity metrics across multiple properties can be complex, but specialized platforms can simplify the process. Alvéole’s Nature-Related Risk Platform helps real estate professionals systematically collect and analyze nature-related data for GRESB reporting.
The platform provides:
- Automated data collection from urban beekeeping programs and other nature-based initiatives
- TNFD-aligned metrics that directly support GRESB biodiversity reporting requirements
- Portfolio-wide tracking to monitor biodiversity performance across multiple properties
- Standardized reporting that can be easily integrated into GRESB submissions
For properties with urban beekeeping programs, the platform automatically captures key biodiversity indicators like pollinator health, species diversity, and ecosystem services. This data directly addresses GRESB’s RM7 requirements while providing measurable proof of nature-positive impacts.
To learn more about how the platform can streamline your biodiversity reporting, visit Alvéole’s Nature-Related Risk Platform.
Next steps for TNFD-GRESB alignment
As GRESB continues to develop its biodiversity requirements, staying aligned with TNFD will help you prepare for future changes. Here’s a simple plan to keep up:
- Start with a basic biodiversity strategy that addresses dependencies, impacts, risks, and opportunities
- Choose 3-5 metrics to track consistently across your portfolio
- Implement at least one nature-based solution, like a pollinator program or native landscaping
- Document your approach for the RM7 question in this year’s GRESB assessment
- Review and update your strategy annually as GRESB requirements evolve
While the biodiversity question isn’t scored in 2025, getting ahead now will position you well for future assessments.
Urban beekeeping programs like those offered by Alvéole provide an easy entry point for biodiversity reporting. These programs include data collection tools that align with TNFD recommendations and produce metrics that can be included in GRESB responses.
To learn more about incorporating nature-based programs into your reporting strategy, visit Alvéole’s website.
Frequently asked questions about TNFD and GRESB
How does the TNFD framework differ from TCFD for real estate reporting?
TNFD focuses on nature and biodiversity impacts while TCFD focuses on climate change—both share the same four pillars, but TNFD adds the LEAP approach to identify interactions with nature.
What specific biodiversity metrics should commercial buildings track for GRESB?
Track plant species count, percentage of native vegetation, green space area, pollinator presence, and pesticide reduction—these demonstrate how a property manages its relationship with nature.
When will GRESB begin scoring the biodiversity indicators in their assessment?
GRESB introduced RM7 in 2025 as an exploratory question that doesn’t affect scores—no timeline has been announced, but it’s likely to become scored as industry reporting matures.
What nature-related risks are most relevant to urban commercial properties?
Key risks include flooding from lost permeable surfaces, higher cooling costs from reduced tree cover, regulatory changes requiring biodiversity protection, and shifting tenant preferences toward greener buildings.
How can small properties implement TNFD recommendations cost-effectively?
Start by mapping nearby natural areas, replacing landscaping with native plants, reducing pesticide use, and engaging tenants through nature-focused events—these low-cost actions provide GRESB-ready data while delivering biodiversity benefits.
