Two new reports on the value of nature conservation

The Boston Consulting Group together with NABU and Birdlife International just published a report on the business of biodiversity conservation, featuring a case study of our LIFE ELCN project. Similarly, McKinsey recently published a report on valuing nature conservation. Both publications are good examples of voices from the private sector calling out for higher ambitions with regard to global biodiversity conservation. 

"Biodiversity is at the core of human well-being. Its services allow our economy to thrive and ensure the livelihood of billions of people. Yet, the rate of biodiversity decline has never been so fast: Around one million species are facing extinction within the coming decades, and every year over $6 trillion of nature’s economic benefits are lost. 

In response to the growing crisis, NABU and BCG conducted a comprehensive analysis to answer three questions:

  1. Why is biodiversity essential for our well-being, and what economic value does it provide?
  2. What are the root causes of biodiversity loss?
  3. How can biodiversity loss be stopped? 

Among the reports findings are that biodiversity provides over $170 trillion in yearly benefits on top of its inherent value, that the root causes of biodiversity loss arise from economic activities, that biodiversity and climate change are strongly interlinked, and that a systemic approach to change is needed. The full report is available for download here.