Damage to Ecosystems Can Lead to Financial Losses and Reputational Risks for Companies

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Report by Eurosif and oekem research finds that risks to five industrial sectors can be offset by attention to biodiversity. The financial services sector faces risks and opportunities as well.

Report by Eurosif and oekem research finds that risks to five industrial sectors can be offset by attention to biodiversity. The financial services sector faces risks and opportunities as well.

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), an international treaty that entered into force in 1993, defines biological diversity (biodiversity) as "the variability among living organisms from all sources, including terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic ecosystems, and the ecological complexes of which they are a part." One of the targets of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is to "reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss."

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A recently published sector report by the European Sustainable Investment Forum (Eurosif) examines the risks associated with loss of biodiversity confronting five industrial sectors considered particularly vulnerable. Research for the report was compiled by oekom research.

The report, entitled Biodiversity Theme Report, addresses risks to the agricultural, extractive, paper and forestry, real estate and infrastructure, and tourism industries. It considers both companies that depend on biodiversity and ecosystem services, and companies whose activities have an impact on biodiversity and ecosystems.

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