Toute l'actualitéIn February 2026, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) approved the [Business and Biodiversity Assessment](https://www.ipbes.net/business-impact), the first global report specifically dedicated to the interactions between business activities and biodiversity. The result of three years of collective work by more than 79 experts from 35 countries, this publication responds to an explicit request from IPBES Member States to ground business–nature relations in a robust scientific framework, in support of political, financial and economic decision-makers. The challenge it addresses is unequivocal: the continuity of economic models relies on ecological functions whose degradation directly undermines value creation itself. At a time when international regulatory frameworks increasingly require companies to account for biodiversity-related risks and impacts — notably under the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework — this assessment provides a precise analytical framework to inform corporate strategies in the context of the intertwined climate and biodiversity crises.
Biodiversity and the Economy: A Functional Interdependence
Biodiversity encompasses the diversity of species, ecosystems and biological interactions through which nature generates essential functions such as soil fertility, pollination, water regulation and carbon sequestration. These functions constitute a set of ecosystem services without which economic activity could not be sustained.
The IPBES analysis highlights the scale of value-chain dependencies — both direct and indirect — on these services provided by biodiversity. In the mapping presented by the report, the primary sector and agri-food systems appear on the front line, but exposure extends far beyond them. The pharmaceutical industry depends on genetic diversity; construction and infrastructure are embedded in territories whose ecological stability conditions long-term viability; and the financial sector holds portfolios whose value ultimately rests on ecologically vulnerable supply chains.
Biodiversity thus operates as a functional matrix underpinning economic activity. As ecosystems degrade, the functions they provide become increasingly unstable, more costly to replace, and in some cases irreplaceable. Economic trade-offs that long overlooked this dimension are now confronted with clear biophysical limits.
Economic Pressures and the Transformation of Natural Systems
The Business and Biodiversity Assessment builds on earlier IPBES work, notably the 2019 Global Assessment, which identified five direct drivers of biodiversity loss resulting from human activities: changes in land and sea use, overexploitation of natural resources, climate change, pollution and the introduction of invasive alien species.
This new publication deepens the analysis of how economic activities contribute to these pressures. Globalised value chains, the intensification of agricultural systems, urban expansion, mining activities, deforestation and the standardisation of production systems — centred on a limited number of species, varieties and technical practices — are collectively reshaping natural environments.
The challenge, however, lies not only in the accumulation of localised impacts. The report describes cumulative dynamics in which habitat fragmentation, biological homogenisation and the structural impoverishment of ecosystems — marked by the loss of functional diversity and regulatory capacities — reduce their ability to adapt. This erosion of ecological resilience increases the vulnerability of territories and, by extension, of the economic activities established within or dependent upon them.
Moreover, long and complex supply chains dilute the perceived link between strategic decision-making and concrete ecological impacts. In 2023 alone, approximately USD 7.3 trillion was channelled towards activities with direct negative impacts on nature, including USD 4.9 trillion from private finance and USD 2.4 trillion in public subsidies supporting biodiversity-harmful activities. By contrast, only USD 220 billion was directed towards conservation and restoration efforts — barely 3% of harmful financial flows. Under current conditions, capital allocation continues to reinforce trajectories that are ecologically unsustainable.
Reframing Risk in Corporate Strategy
One of the report’s major conceptual contributions lies in repositioning biodiversity among the major structural risks facing contemporary economies, alongside climate change and geopolitical tensions. Within this framework, biodiversity-related risks fall into three broad categories:
- Physical risks, reflecting the direct consequences of ecological degradation, such as water scarcity, unstable agricultural yields and heightened exposure to climate-related hazards amplified by the loss of regulating ecosystems.
- Transition risks, arising from rapid shifts in regulatory, financial and market frameworks, including transparency requirements, reporting standards and the growing integration of biodiversity considerations into risk analysis by investors and supervisors.
- Systemic risks, referring to cascading effects that can simultaneously affect multiple sectors. A regional ecological disruption may trigger supply shortages, influence commodity prices, weaken asset portfolios and lead to rapid financial adjustments.
Taken together, these risk dimensions underscore the need for companies to treat biodiversity not as a peripheral concern, but as a structural parameter of strategic decision-making and long-term performance management.
From Impact Management to the Transformation of Economic Architectures
The assessment notes the growing number of voluntary corporate commitments, while also highlighting their limited impact in relation to the scale of observed trends. Strategies focused solely on marginal reductions in environmental footprints fail to alter the structural drivers of pressure on biodiversity.
The core issue identified by IPBES lies in the architecture of economic models themselves. The report points to the need to align economic incentives, public policies and financial flows with the objectives of the Global Biodiversity Framework, notably the restoration of degraded ecosystems and the substantial reduction of direct pressures by 2030.
Such transformation entails revisiting activity portfolios, strengthening supply-chain traceability, progressively internalising ecological costs and redirecting investment towards activities compatible with ecosystem regeneration. The report also emphasises cooperation with Indigenous Peoples and local communities, who hold critical knowledge and steward biodiversity-rich territories. Territorial governance emerges as a decisive lever in this transition.
Finance and Governance: A Strategic Inflection Point
Financial actors occupy a structurally influential position in the IPBES analysis. Capital flows shape the trajectory of economic sectors and can either accelerate or hinder transformative change.
Integrating biodiversity into capital allocation, risk management and performance assessment represents a major inflection point. Boards of directors are called upon to embed these issues within governance mechanisms, set measurable objectives and ensure coherence between public commitments, investment strategies and operational practices.
Biodiversity thus emerges as a transversal strategic variable, intrinsically linked to competitiveness, resilience and long-term reputation.
The IPBES Business and Biodiversity Assessment establishes a demanding analytical framework: economic viability depends on the stability and regenerative capacity of living systems, and can only be pursued within ecological limits. Through this report, companies gain access to a diagnosis grounded in the best available scientific knowledge, a structured risk mapping, and a set of methodological frameworks and tools to integrate biodiversity as a core parameter of strategic decision-making. The ability to mobilise these levers will become a key determinant of long-term corporate resilience.