Biodiversity & Economy: IPBES calls on economic actors to address opportunities, risks, and dependencies

Since its creation, IPBES has approved 14 assessments on a variety of topics (1st global assessment, Nexus, transformative change, invasive alien species, etc.). In the current context, marked by budgetary constraints exacerbated by the recent withdrawal of the United States and mistrust of science, the platform is examining the possibility of making greater use of existing reports at the national and regional levels, thereby strengthening their consideration.

The final report, result of three years of work (2022-2026), was produced by a panel of 200 international experts. They took a multidisciplinary approach, expertly integrating existing scientific literature with indigenous and local knowledge, reflecting an inclusive and collaborative process. The IPBES assessment on the link between business and biodiversity is the first global scientific analysis of methods enabling companies to assess their impacts on and dependencies on living organisms. It demonstrates that biodiversity, far from being a secondary issue, is a structural pillar of the economy. Its degradation creates physical, financial, and systemic risks.

IPBES proposes an operational methodological framework tailored to the relevant sectors (business, finance, regulators, public policy). It emphasizes the importance of reducing impacts on biodiversity, both to prevent systemic risks and to develop more sustainable and resilient economic models.

Implementing this model requires concerted action by all stakeholders—public and private—to create an environment conducive to corporate commitment to a fair and sustainable future. This is not yet the case today.

Restore, in its mandate and operations, fully integrates the issues raised by IPBES. Restore is a tool that restores biodiversity to its rightful place: a pillar of the economy, which must therefore be considered as such in markets and in the balance sheets of economic actors. In order to halt the current global loss of biodiversity, Restore helps companies de-risk their value chains by investing in projects that help them solidify their supplies and thus their turnover.

The figures below, taken from the report, illustrate the links between business and nature, and how market opportunities are intrinsically linked to high risks, and how value chains are directly dependent on biodiversity.