Evidence‐based practice in consultancy settings is a win–win for business and nature

Abstract Businesses increasingly need to assess their impacts and dependencies on nature, develop targets and robust strategies for reducing impacts and contributing to nature recovery. Businesses often hire consultants to provide assurance that approaches taken are legitimate and likely to deliver environmental outcomes. As such, consultants have an important responsibility to ensure the advice they provide is based on the best available evidence. As part of the Evidence Champions programme run by Conservation Evidence [University of Cambridge], The Biodiversity Consultancy has been working to formalise an approach for evidence use across the organisation. In this ‘Practice Insights’ article, we first outline the importance and multiple benefits of evidence‐based practice for consultancies. Secondly, we describe the broad topics covered by an organisational approach to evidence use—detailing the approach developed and actions taken by The Biodiversity Consultancy. Practical implications . We conclude by outlining key recommendations and lessons learned from our approach, including discussing how to embed evidence‐based strategies into core processes, address data gaps and uncertainties and manage situations where evidence collation becomes time‐consuming or costly—highlighting ways to prioritise evidence gathering and use effectively. We hope these insights obtained from our collective experience provide practical value to other consultancies seeking to integrate evidence‐based action into their workflows, as well as for businesses aiming to ensure that biodiversity strategies are grounded in robust, science‐informed practice.