As we head towards the COP16 summit in Cali, Colombia, you’ll hear many alarming statistics about the growing biodiversity crisis. Wildlife populations declining by an average 73% in the past 50 years. Collapse of vital ecosystems – such as wild pollination, provision of food from marine fisheries and timber from native forests – could result in a decline in global GDP of $2.7 trillion annually by 2030. We tend to use alarming financial numbers to describe these issues. In reality we need to understand the wider significance and danger that this loss of nature could mean for us, our children and our communities.

As I write, frustration grows over the fact that only a small minority of countries have submitted their updated national plans for addressing nature loss (NBSAPs). Yet, I remain optimistic that COP16 will be an inflection point, where biodiversity and nature emerge as an undeniable part of the human story and the world we share with nature. This message must (and will) travel beyond the elite circles of the ecologists and nature-specialists. To boardrooms, classrooms, family dinner tables.  

What I believe is beginning to dawn on people, is that if these natural systems are allowed to wither and die, then the human world as we know it will also disappear. Imagine suddenly realising that careless choices we made today led to the loss of Isaac Newton’s discoveries, or the music of Mozart. We would be unmoored in a world where not only would nature be unable to support us anymore, but what it would mean to be human would be fundamentally changed. This scale of loss is what's at stake.

In Cali it is critical that shared experiences and insights lead to action. Two years ago at COP15, businesses attended alongside communities, youth groups and indigenous peoples – joining governments that had been meeting every two years making plans, developing frameworks since Rio in 1992. I’m optimistic that we will build on this energy and collaboration at this year’s event.  

Policy enters the equation 

While we certainly need to see action from governments on their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), and clear and consistent legislation and policy, we also require the drive, the ambition, the competitiveness and action of the global business community. A significant move from planning to implementing is needed across sectors. 

In our work at Arup, it’s becoming clear how mandatory corporate nature-related disclosures will impact organisations. Value chain analyses are becoming essential for businesses revealing their nature-related dependencies, impacts, risks, and related opportunities. Organisations can de-risk their supply chains, enhancing their resilience to climate and social change. Additionally, this process will help set the stage for nature-related disclosures in compliance with emerging regulations. New Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) requirements has nature at its core with busiensses in the EU mandated to report on their marital impacts and dependencies.

Disclosure is supporting the flow of capital investment starting to  move in favour of projects that demonstrate ‘nature positive’ outcomes. We are working with clients to advise them on how they can capture the significant opportunity that a nature positive future will bring. 

The data-nature partnership  

To effectively address nature-related risks and opportunities, business leaders and organisations require reliable data and digital tools to not only baseline their impact but also look for ways to improve and reduce it. Fortunately, a new level of nature analysis is being powered by digital innovation. These tools provide the insights and evidence needed to make informed decisions and implement effective strategies.  

Through data collection and analysis, individuals, organisations and policymakers can monitor biodiversity, track changes in ecosystems, and identify threats such as habitat loss, pollution, and climate change. High-quality data enables the creation of predictive models to foresee the impact of various environmental policies and practices, allowing for proactive measures rather than reactive responses.  

Additionally, data supports transparency and accountability, ensuring that efforts to protect nature are based on solid evidence and are measurable over time. It means that stakeholders can collaborate more effectively, share knowledge, and mobilise resources to protect and restore natural habitats.  

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Listen to Arup's Tom Butterworth discuss the human relationship with nature and the stakes at COP16.

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The role of business 

So why are businesses turning up now? It’s become increasingly clear that companies that will survive the 21st century will take nature very seriously. Whether it's about complying with legislation or minimising risks in their supply chains, the message is the same: climate change and ecosystem degradation pose significant threats to business operations.  

We’re already seeing the impacts – coffee production in decline, rice production under threat and water shortages with the potential to affect industries like brick manufacturing. Biodiversity loss affects everything, from raw materials and  agriculture to the resilience of our cities and our health and wellbeing, making it impossible for businesses to ignore the connection between nature and their success.

Businesses’ operational priorities can and must take account of the nature crisis and their role in it. In fact, in this they have an opportunity to play a leadership role. This is valuable, given governments often prefer to develop policy and regulation after it has been tested in practice. We have observed this phenomenon on biodiversity net gain (BNG) in England, where companies have developed, tested and delivered BNG, leading to greater support and engagement with the practice when government legislation later mainstreams these practices.  

Nature – we’re all in it together 

Businesses are also made up of people. And we all have a deep connection with nature whether we think about it or not. This crisis touches everyone, whether they live in a gleaming New York residential tower or a favela in Rio. We rely on trees for shade, we’ve known the song of birds since childhood, and our ecosystems sustain us with food, water, air. We are and will always remain dependent on the all too vulnerable systems that make up the natural world.  

So, all eyes and ears should be on the summit in Cali, Colombia. We need to listen and learn from nature, and commit to the overdue action that’s so clearly needed. 

It’s become increasingly clear that companies that will survive the 21st century will take nature very seriously.