The Business and Biodiversity Assessment

The 12th plenary of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES 12) concluded this last weekend and yesterday published its headline achievement: The Business and Biodiversity Assessment.

The report highlights a $700 billion annual funding gap for biodiversity and a $7.3 trillion majority of global finance currently damaging nature.

Dependency of business on nature continues to be hammered home, with the risk of extinction of both business and species outlined as a likely route of travel—protection and stewardship of natural landscapes and ecosystems is a financial necessity.

This urgency is captured in the report’s “100 concrete actions for business” to fill gaps pre-2030.

Opportunities for landowners and land stewards:

• Key steer to “nature-positive” investments and clear motive to move beyond greenwashing is bullish for continuing and diversified Natural Capital options such as Biodiversity Net Gain, Nutrient Neutrality, and emerging instruments like Green Bonds.
• Heavy emphasis on ‘stacking’ of land-uses; incorporating traditional revenue streams such as agriculture and recreational use with targeted Natural Capital/Green Finance schemes—expect more clarity on the interplay with carbon in 2026.
• Use of metrics highlighted. Suggesting a continued focus on measurable change in nature, such as the ‘baskets’ of metrics proposed under certain International Biodiversity Credit systems.

See findings and publications on The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)