Businesses Lag on Nature Loss, U.N. Warns

Companies are significantly behind schedule in addressing the escalating threat of nature loss, warns the U.N.'s biodiversity chief. Despite recognition of biodiversity risk as a top global concern since 2020, many businesses are not investing sufficient resources into analyzing their impacts and dependencies within supply chains. This inaction persists even though the World Economic Forum has listed nature loss among its top global risks for several years.

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is preparing for its next round of talks in Armenia in October, where corporate progress will be reviewed. The landmark Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework aims to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030 and restore ecosystems, but progress is slow. A significant challenge remains mobilizing private capital for nature-positive investments, as spending that harms nature currently far exceeds funding for its protection.

Practical and financial hurdles, including the difficulty in measuring location-specific biodiversity risks, slow down corporate and investor decision-making. Efforts are underway to scale up funds like the Cali Fund, which aims to channel profits from sectors reliant on genetic resources into conservation. However, issues regarding fund sharing and contribution structures remain unresolved ahead of COP17.