The importance of biodiversity is increasingly recognised for its role in building resilience against climate change, in supporting communities and livelihoods, and for its essential role in underpinning our broader society and global economy.

However, a lack of consistent tools and frameworks to effectively integrate this value into internal corporate decision making has hampered efforts to date and contributes to the rapidly accelerating loss of biodiversity as well as mounting risk and exposure for businesses and financial institutions, said the IUCN-backed groups ahead of the UN Summit on Biodiversity taking place today.

IUCN co-chaired the Biodiversity Guidance Steering Group, overseeing this collaborative effort, which has involved many partners, including several IUCN Members. 

The new Biodiversity Guidance is a companion to the Natural Capital Protocol, a decision-making framework that enables organisations to identify, measure and value their impacts and dependencies on natural capital. The aim is to empower business, financial institutions, policy makers and other organisations conducting biodiversity--inclusive natural capital assessments, and enhance their decision making using the step-by-step approach outlined in the Protocol.

This Guidance is applicable to all business sectors, geographies and organisational levels. Furthermore, it has been piloted by leading businesses and financial institutions, which have dedicated significant resources to ensure that their peers will understand and benefit from this work.

Key stakeholders involved in the development process explained the scope of the Guidance, along with the results of some of the case studies and gaps identified, in the launch webinar. Watch here. To read the Guidance in full, visit the Capitals Coalition website here.