Why biodiversity is everyone’s business

Climate change is often called the defining issue of our time. But for business leaders, an equally urgent challenge is unfolding in parallel: The destruction of the natural world.

Biodiversity is nature’s lifeblood. The very resources, services and stability nature provides are the foundation of economic activity and long-term value creation. And so this isn’t an abstract issue for policy-makers, it’s a business risk, a human risk and a leadership test for CEOs and board members.

From raw materials and clean water to climate regulation and pollination, businesses and society depend on functioning ecosystems. These ecosystems rely on the presence of countless species – millions of living organisms, from plants and animals to the tiniest microbes – each playing a crucial interconnected role. This balance, perfected over millions of years of natural evolution, is what makes nature resilient, healthy and productive.

Without biodiversity, supply chains falter, costs rise and reputations suffer. Biodiversity is the bedrock of human health, wellbeing and security. Putting it at the heart of business strategy is no longer optional, it’s essential for resilience, innovation and competitiveness.

In my previous roles as Director General of WWF International and CEO of BirdLife International, I’ve seen first-hand how the health of ecosystems is deeply entwined with the stability of supply chains, the resilience of economies and the viability of future growth. What was once dismissed as a green issue is now a boardroom issue.

Nature loss is no longer someone else’s problem. It’s everyone’s bottom line.

Biodiversity loss can often sound like a distant problem – a frog species disappearing deep in the jungle or coral reefs bleaching far beneath warming seas. But this crisis is here and now. In fact, biodiversity loss amplifies threats we see as more immediate, such as climate change. The ocean, forests, wetlands and soils currently neutralize roughly half of human-made CO2 emissions. Net zero alone won’t keep global temperatures below 2°C so these ecosystems’ ability to store carbon must also be preserved.

Raw material scarcity, disrupted supply chains, water crises, food insecurity and insurance collapses are all tied directly to nature loss. Nearly half of global GDP – about $44 trillion – depends highly or moderately on nature and its services. But in reality the whole economy depends on nature for its very existence.

For executives, this translates into clear priorities. They must secure supply chains, reduce exposure to systemic risk and build business models that regenerate rather than deplete nature while building business resilience, social license to operate and, ultimately, viability and profitability.

And yet, the global economic model still treats nature’s resources and services as if they were free, infinite and indestructible.

Just as we aim for net-zero emissions, we must now aim for net-positive biodiversity, which means restoring nature and creating more natural capital than we consume. For the business world, becoming nature positive means setting targets and accountability frameworks today, not waiting for regulation. The companies that lead on this will define the markets of tomorrow.

Nature positive is not a slogan. It’s a science-based, measurable and unifying global goal, just like the 1.5°C target for climate. It means halting and reversing biodiversity loss with continued recovery – not just slowing it or reducing it.

This is where business must lead.

This year’s International Organization for Standardization Annual Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda from 6-10 October provides an opportunity to move in the right direction through the upcoming ISO standard on biodiversity. The meeting will create a powerful platform for collaboration and alignment on nature-positive action. In the session Protect Nature. Lead With Purpose, for example, I will highlight the material relevance of biodiversity to business.

For leaders, the question is no longer whether to act, but how fast biodiversity can be embedded into strategy, reporting and investment decisions. This speaks clearly to business priorities such as resilience, risk management, development opportunities and long-term value.

Bold action on nature and biodiversity will determine whether companies merely survive or truly thrive in a world where sustainability is no longer optional. The future depends on a new business model where economic success and ecological health go hand in hand.

Every generation thinks its moment is unique. Ours truly is. We’re the first to fully understand the damage we’ve inflicted on the natural world and its consequences for our future, and likely the last generation that can reverse it in time.

The business world must now choose whether to cling to a model that erodes long-term value or pivot to one that restores and sustains. Because nature positive is also business positive.