Understanding Biodiversity

This educational read shares a holistic overview of the Biodiversity Ecosystem.

The report shares an overview of the biodiversity sector. Answers questions as to why the persevering biodiversity sector is key to a more equitable future and its impact on the society observed through the financial industry. Talks about sustainable finance, tools, metrics used to measure the effects of human interaction and policies on nature conservation and restoration. Recently, The middle Road became a member of the European Union Business @ Biodiversity platform, a global thought-leading platform enabling social change and impact within the biodiversity ecosystem. The middle Road is a thought leadership terminal blending Media and EdTech for a more sustainable and equitable future. Critical references are Finance for Biodiversity Guide on biodiversity measurement approaches, Positive Impact Finance for Business & Biodiversity, and the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. 

Why is Biodiversity so important and what do we mean by the term Biodiversity?

Biodiversity is defined as ‘the diversity of species, variation of genes and different ecosystems’ (Term used by the Convention on Biological Diversity, CBD). 

About a million species are under threat of extinction. Based on World Economic Forum, more than 50 percent of the World’s Global GDP is dependent on nature and exposed to the risk of alteration of the natural habitat. This analysis forms the bedrock of the importance of nature for the social development of humanity. International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database, October 2021, estimates global GDP for selected countries to be $95.6 trillion approximately. According to World Bank national accounts data and OECD National Accounts data files, the top five countries, the United States, China, Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom’s combined GDP, accounted for 52.2 trillion approximately, accounting for 55.2 percent of the World GDP. The inequitable distribution of national wealth shows the increasing responsibility of a few nations to drive the sustainable development agenda. Based on a report by Business for Nature & ICC, a nature-based transition could lead to $10 trillion in business opportunity creating 395 million jobs by 2030. The pandemic has shown the importance of preserving nature for bettering humans’ response to the wellbeing of society. One of the major reports on the economic impact on this subject matter is Das Gupta’s The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review. The analysis underpins the importance of biodiversity, both social and economic importance to the world. United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (popularly known as Rio “Earth Summit”) started the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on 22 May 1992, where the adoption of the agreed text of Convention on Biological Diversity took place. The proliferation of worldwide drive towards sustainable development led to an accelerated focus towards facilitating policies for enhancing thought leadership for biodiversity.