Businesses can either lead transformative change or face extinction IPBES releases Business and Biodiversity Report

The 12th Plenary Session of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) concluded this week in Manchester, United Kingdom. Delegates from more than 150 member Governments, observers, Indigenous and local community representatives, as well as leading biodiversity scientists from around the world, gathered to translate scientific findings into policy and action. This was the first time the United Kingdom hosted this global intergovernmental meeting, setting the tone for the future relationship between business and nature.

The central outcome of the meeting was the approval of the Summary for Policymakers of the Business and Biodiversity Report. This three-year global assessment, written by 80 experts, systematically reveals for the first time how businesses depend on nature and how they impact it. The report hits the core issue: no business can act in isolation—every company is “borrowing” from nature, while nature ultimately determines whether the business can survive.

The report highlights that businesses often enjoy immunity for their negative impacts, while the positive impacts are difficult to monetize. Global economic growth has come at the cost of massive biodiversity loss. In 2023, global public and private finance flows directly harming nature reached $7.3 trillion, while only $220 billion was directed to conservation and restoration—less than 0.3% of the funds incentivizing harmful business behavior. In other words, destroying nature has historically been more “profitable” than protecting it.

The report warns that inaction is self-destructive. Biodiversity loss has become a systemic risk, threatening the economy, financial stability, and human wellbeing. Businesses that continue to “sit idle” may ultimately face extinction themselves. The report is clear: companies can either lead transformative change or be swept aside by nature and the market.

Measuring and managing business impacts and dependencies on nature is key to transformation. The report proposes multiple scientific methods, emphasizing three overarching principles: coverage, accuracy, and responsiveness. By combining top-down and bottom-up approaches, businesses can measure and manage impacts at different levels and in diverse decision-making contexts. This serves not only as a scientific guide but also as a practical survival manual for business.

The report also stresses the indispensable role of Indigenous and local communities. Globally, 60% of Indigenous lands are threatened by industrial development, and a quarter of Indigenous territories face high-pressure exploitation. These communities hold invaluable knowledge for conserving, restoring, and sustainably using nature. Respectful collaboration and knowledge-sharing can help businesses protect nature while reducing risks and unlocking opportunities.

Action is no longer optional. The report lists over 100 concrete measures, including improving efficiency, reducing waste, lowering emissions, and guidelines across policy, legal, financial, social, and technological domains, for businesses, governments, financial institutions, and civil society. In other words, companies that want to continue profiting must learn to work with nature—or risk losing not only forests and rivers but also profits and brand value.

IPBES Chair Dr. David Obura emphasized that this report is the first-ever fast-track assessment of business and biodiversity, providing critical guidance for achieving the 2030 targets, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Paris Agreement. UN agencies including UNEP, FAO, UNDP, and UNESCO all underscore that businesses are inseparable from nature and that transformative action is urgent. Conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of biodiversity have shifted from an “option” for environmental protection to a “must” for business survival and long-term prosperity.