Biodiversity: Finance and the Economic and Business Case for Action
The Convention on Biological Diversity’s 15th Conference of the Parties (CBD COP15) in 2020 marks a critical juncture for one of the defining global challenges of our time: the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services, which underpin nearly all of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Transformative changes are needed to ensure biodiversity conservation and sustainable use and the delivery of the ecosystem services upon which all life depends. This report sets the economic and business case for urgent and ambitious action on biodiversity. It presents a preliminary assessment of current biodiversity-related finance flows, and discusses the key data and indicator gaps that need to be addressed to underpin effective monitoring of both the pressures on biodiversity and the actions (i.e. responses) being implemented. The report concludes with ten priority areas where G7 and other countries can prioritise their efforts.
Foreword
Biodiversity – the variety of life on earth – underpins the well-being of billions of people every day. It provides a myriad of ecosystem services, such as the provision of food, clean water and air, nutrient cycling, and carbon sequestration. The economic value of these services, although often ignored in decision-making, are vast and should also be highlighted. Globally, they are estimated to range between 125 and 140 trillion dollars per year, far more than the world’s gross domestic product.