New IPBES Report Underscores the Role of Business in Biodiversity

We are pleased to share that the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has just released a landmark assessment on business and biodiversity, approved by member governments during IPBES’s 12th plenary session in Manchester, United Kingdom. This Business and Biodiversity Assessment highlights the deep interdependence between economic activity and the natural world, and its findings have important implications for transforming food systems in ways that support biodiversity, resilience and healthy livelihoods.

The report reveals that global economic growth has come at a profound cost to nature, contributing to accelerating biodiversity loss that now poses systemic risks to economies, financial stability and human wellbeing. It emphasizes that every business depends on and impacts biodiversity and nature’s contributions to people through material inputs, ecosystem regulation and cultural values, even in sectors that may not appear nature-based.

Importantly for food systems actors and our biodiversity partnership community, the assessment stresses that transformative change is both possible and necessary. It brings together evidence and practical approaches to help businesses, financial institutions, governments and civil society measure and manage impacts and dependencies on biodiversity. It identifies ways to strengthen the enabling environment for nature-positive action, from improved metrics and credible strategies to diverse knowledge engagement including science, Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

This IPBES assessment provides both a scientific foundation and practical entry points for action by actors operating across different parts of food systems.

We encourage the community to explore the report and reflect on how its insights can inform partnerships and actions that link business transformation with biodiversity stewardship and inclusive food systems transformation.

About IPBES
Often described as the “IPCC for biodiversity”, IPBES is an independent intergovernmental body comprising more than 150 member Governments. Established by Governments in 2012, it provides policymakers with objective scientific assessments about the state of knowledge regarding the planet’s biodiversity, ecosystems and the contributions they make to people, as well as the tools and methods to protect and sustainably use these vital natural assets. For more information about IPBES and its assessments visit www.ipbes.net