At the twelfth session of the IPBES Plenary, held in Manchester from 3 to 8 February 2026, the IPBES methodological assessment of the impact and dependency of business on biodiversity and nature’s contributions to people (Business and Biodiversity Assessment) was accepted, and its summary for policymakers was approved.
The IPBES Business and Biodiversity Assessment highlights that every business both depends on – and impacts – biodiversity, making nature loss a profound systemic risk to the global economy, financial stability, and human well‑being. The report stresses that even companies that appear distant from nature rely on ecosystem services such as water supply, flood mitigation, and cultural or recreational values. Despite this dependence, many businesses pay little or no cost for their negative impacts on nature, and current systems rarely reward positive biodiversity outcomes.
Approved by more than 150 member governments, the assessment underscores the urgent need for companies to understand their biodiversity dependencies and risks, and to integrate nature into core strategic and financial decision‑making.
The report provides detailed methods and more than 100 specific actions for businesses, governments, financial institutions, and civil society to measure and address their impacts on biodiversity. It positions businesses as essential players in halting and reversing biodiversity loss, noting that many currently lack the information required to respond effectively. By offering tools, metrics, and governance approaches, the assessment aims to shift global business practice toward outcomes that support both sustainable economies and the protection of nature’s contributions to people.
More information can be found on the IPBES website.
You can see NBN Trust CEO, Gareth Thomas’ response to the publication on LinkedIn.