Nature is a source of inspiration for us. It is an amazing source of products and solutions. Nature is as important for our mental and physical wellbeing as it is for our society’s ability to cope with global change, health threats and disasters.

We humans are part of, and fully dependent, on nature. It gives us the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe.

Despite this urgent moral, economic and environmental imperative, nature is in a state of crisis. The five main direct drivers of biodiversity loss – changes in land and sea use, overexploitation, climate change, pollution, and invasion of non-native species – are affecting nature drastically. In the last four decades, global wildlife populations fell by 60% as a result of human activities. Almost three quarters of the Earth’s surface have been altered, squeezing nature with more species being put at risk of extinction.

Biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse are one of the biggest threats facing humanity in the next decade. They also harm the foundations of our economy and the costs of inaction are high and increasing. The world lost an estimated €3.5-18.5 trillion per year in ecosystem services from 1997 to 2011 owing to land-cover change, and an estimated €5.5-10.5 trillion per year from land degradation.

Why do businesses need to care about natural capital in general and biodiversity in particular?

Businesses and biodiversity are intrinsically linked but the relationship varies between businesses, and between business sectors. While most attention might focus on the potential impacts of activities on biodiversity, most businesses are also dependent on biodiversity to differing degrees, especially in the food, medical, cosmetic and agricultural biological control.

Hopefully, there is a growing level of awareness of the importance of understanding the connections between business and the biodiversity/natural capital.