IPBES recap: Every business has a choice to make on nature

At the start of February, Manchester hosted the 12th Plenary of IPBES: the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.

When it comes to its major summits, IPBES is like the IPCC, rather than the UNFCCC. These summits are primarily focused on agreeing major reports that synthesise high-level scientific outcomes. 

For IPBES-12, the focus was on the Business and Biodiversity Assessment, a major report that outlines the role business plays in nature’s decline, as well as the benefits of nature for businesses.

The message is clear: all businesses depend on biodiversity; all businesses have impacts on biodiversity; and all businesses have the power, and responsibility, to address those impacts.

Joseph Lewis is Head of Policy at the Institution of Environmental Sciences, working to promote the use of the environmental sciences in decision making. Joseph leads the delivery of the IES Policy Programme, standing up for the voice of science, scientists, and the natural world in policy. He also delivers the IES policy training programme.

Joseph has more than ten years of experience in public policy, including in Parliament and the charity sector. He is particularly passionate about science communication and the role it can play in shaping environmental decisions.

What does the Business and Biodiversity Assessment cover?

The Business and Biodiversity Assessment (BBA) is a substantial accomplishment of science. It brings together evidence from countless sources and countries. The full synthesis of evidence represented by the report spans six chapters with dozens of individual contributors. 

Some of the most important messages from the BBA include:

• Business and biodiversity are not separate: The key quote from the report is that “businesses depend on biodiversity, but business actions continue to drive declines in biodiversity and nature’s contributions to people.” The traditional approach by many businesses to see nature as an add-on or unrelated to them is no longer viable. Declining biodiversity is relevant to all businesses and demands urgent action.
• Business-as-usual is doomed to fail: The BBA is clear that current operating conditions are often incompatible with a just and sustainable future. Not enough is being done to encourage the business practices that lead to better outcomes, while many perverse incentives and subsidies are encouraging businesses to engage in practices that drive biodiversity loss.
• Agency to act: The BBA goes beyond identifying problems, it also discusses solutions. To support the claim that “all businesses depend on and impact biodiversity and can be agents of positive change … [and] all businesses have a responsibility to address their impacts and dependencies”, the report includes actions that businesses can take now to address their impacts, including strategic targets, mapping biodiversity impacts across the value chain, and integrating nature-related risks into decision making.
• Enabling a better future: Shifting businesses towards sustainability requires an environment that makes those choices more viable. The BBA highlights the importance of policy, finance, culture, technology, and knowledge as key factors. When we align those tools to the goal of reversing biodiversity’s decline, we can create a system where the incentives of businesses promote actions and business models that benefit nature. 
• Transformative change is essential: This is a systemic issue. It affects all businesses, and all businesses cause it. It’s also caused by the way the economy works as a whole, so we need a ‘whole society’ approach. We also need to go beyond incremental solutions, or the tendency towards business-as-usual will slow down and halt real change. A transformative approach is possible. It’s also better for businesses, better for people, and better for the planet.

To learn more about the BBA, read the Summary for Policymakers. For actions that businesses can take now to address their impacts and dependencies, see Table SPM.2 from the Business and Biodiversity Assessment.

What do the experts say?

“The Business and Biodiversity Assessment must be a turning point for businesses. It emphasises that biodiversity loss is not only an environmental crisis, but a systemic risk to supply chains, finance, and long-term competitiveness. It also reinforces that the companies that move early, by mapping impacts, setting credible targets, and embedding nature into governance, will be far better positioned for the future. 

Ultimately, there are no jobs on a dead planet, so every organisation needs to ask what it is doing to reduce impacts and deliver nature-positive change.”
- Brigette Reid, IES Trustee and our delegate at IPBES-12

“We’ve known for a long time that biodiversity is deeply intertwined with our economy and society. The latest report from IPBES is another important step, but we need to keep going further. Risks aren’t always the most enticing motivators, so we need a clear picture of the opportunities for businesses. Environmental experts will be well-placed to offer case studies of what is working already. We can also help to fill gaps in the evidence through close interdisciplinary partnerships with experts in behaviour, economics, and policy.”
- Gary Kass, Chair of the IES External Policy Advisory Committee, IES Vice President

“Achieving the goals of the Global Biodiversity Framework requires a whole of society effort, and the IPBES Business and Biodiversity assessment shows why: every business, everywhere, both depends on and impacts biodiversity. And biodiversity loss is therefore a systemic risk to business and, ultimately, to the global economy and society. 

Businesses can’t do it alone: governments and others need to step up to enable deeper, sustained action - because transformative change is essential if we are to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. The assessment shows how to create this enabling environment for businesses, through changing the policy, legal and financial systems as well as our values and norms, technology, and knowledge gaps.”
-Dr Tom Raven, IES Full Member and member of External Policy Advisory Committee

What does it mean for environmental experts? How can we support change?

The BBA cannot be another report that sits on a shelf. The evidence it contains is a crucial window into the relationships between business and biodiversity.

Environmental experts have a key role to play. We believe that maximising the impact of the BBA is vital, so we have declassified this section of our monthly Essential Environment analysis for a wider reach.

Our role as environmental professionals is to support the transition towards a sustainable society. Following the publication of the BBA, what are some of the ways we can support positive change?

• Talk about the BBA: We need to share the outcomes of this report. It should be a key piece of evidence we use when communicating with the public, businesses, and policy makers. The world should know what’s at stake: the success of nature and the success of businesses are not mutually exclusive; they are mutually dependent.
• Take an integrated approach: The BBA is only one part of a wider conversation about the relationship between the economy and the environment. Climate, pollution, and socio-economic outcomes are all shaped by the decisions we make about biodiversity. We should be bringing this evidence into those discussions, citing the BBA where possible.
• Engage policy for systemic change: A consistent theme from IPBES reports, including the BBA, has been the need for a transformative approach, tackling the complex systems that drive or block change. The enabling environment and operating conditions for businesses are set by policy, so if we want to see change, we need to engage with policy. This week, the IES launched new training, providing an introduction to policy for environmental professionals.
• Support delivery in practice: Environmental professionals work in the roots of environmental policy implementation, so we can help deliver the next steps of the BBA in practice. Where our work provides case studies of how businesses can build a better relationship with nature, we need to share our experiences. Where we have evidence that can fill research gaps or increase confidence, we need to contribute. Making the most of the BBA means selling a vision of the future to businesses that they can support, unlocking action for the benefit of biodiversity. 

Find out more about how the IES supports the transition to a sustainable society:

• Read about our work to engage policy makers and support IES members as change agents in the transition to a sustainable society.
• Catch up with the latest policy developments by reading our horizon scanning papers on clean air, water, and land and nature.
• Sign up for our new training course on ‘Understanding environmental policy’ to take your first steps towards engaging with the complex policy landscape.
• Find out more about how our Environmental Policy Implementation Community (EPIC) is supporting the delivery of effective and ambitious environmental policy.

What next?

The latest report from IPBES is just one step towards a better relationship between humanity and nature. We rapidly need to move beyond a single-minded approach that sees the economy and environment as adversaries.

As we reflect on the outcomes of IPBES-12 and the BBA, environmental experts need to continue working towards a sustainable future, as well as a world with thriving people, a healthy economy, and a flourishing environment.

Get involved: if you want to support the work of the IES to stand up for science and nature, become an affiliate, or if you’re an environmental professional, join the IES.

• Read more about the role of evidence in international environmental policy in our 2025 article on the IPBES Transformative Change and Nexus Assessments, or by reading our key messages to COP30 on climate change.
•  Join our Environmental Policy Implementation Community (EPIC) to support effective policy in practice, including unlocking action for biodiversity at a local level.
• Learn more about recent policy developments in our briefings on clean air, water policy and land and nature policy.
• Find out more by reading the latest articles from Essential Environment, including insights on the Water White Paper and our analysis on the Planning Act and what it means for environmental experts.

If you want to learn more about environmental policy or the training we offer for members, please contact Joseph Lewis, Head of Policy (joseph@the-ies.org).

Header image credit: © Conny Pokorny via Adobe Stock