The Importance of Biodiversity for the Economy and Business Resilience
7/22/2025
by :
Lucile de Castelbajac
Biodiversity is the foundation of the systems that sustain life on Earth: it represents beauty, diversity, natural ingenuity, and regenerative capacity. It is also an essential pillar of the global economy, with over 50% of global GDP (approximately $44 trillion USD) directly dependent on natural resources and ecosystem services like clean water, pollination, and climate regulation (World Bank, 2022). However, biodiversity loss remains an underestimated issue in the private sector. Integrating it into your business strategy is not just necessary: it’s a concrete way to mitigate risks, adapt to emerging regulations, and generate real positive impact.
Biodiversity refers to the variety of living organisms on the planet. An ecosystem functions as an interconnected system: if one part is disrupted, the entire structure can be affected. Biodiversity loss is one of the most serious ecological crises of our time. Fragile ecosystems like tropical forests or coral reefs harbor enormous biological richness, but are extremely vulnerable. The balance is breaking, and every day species essential to life are disappearing. For example, an industrial company that contaminates a river with pesticides not only harms insects, but also aquatic biodiversity, birds, and downstream access to drinking water.
Many business activities depend directly on the services that ecosystems provide: food, clean water, pollination, pest control. Ignoring their degradation means accepting operational, financial, and reputational risks. Today, biodiversity loss is already a tangible threat to many sectors, especially agriculture and fisheries, but also the pharmaceutical industry and coastal tourism.
In Mexico, for example, the disappearance of pollinators such as wild bees due to intensive pesticide use has directly impacted the yields of crops like tomatoes and chiles. Recent years of drought have led to a decline in bean and corn productions, affecting both food security and having direct economic consequences on rural communities and national supply chains. Yet, biodiversity remains poorly integrated into corporate social responsibility strategies.
Moreover, with increasingly strict sustainability standards - such as CSRD- biodiversity protection projects in Mexico should be seen by companies as a future investment, opening up new business opportunities.
The good news is that our actions can make a difference, and biodiversity can regenerate—often faster than expected. More than ever, the private sector has the power—and the responsibility—to act to protect biodiversity, not only for regulatory compliance, but also out of ethics and corporate social responsibility.
It requires transforming internal processes and making more conscious decisions throughout the value chain. Here are some concrete paths:
An inspiring example is Patagonia, which through Tompkins Conservation has acquired and restored over 800,000 hectares in Chile and Argentina, transforming them into national parks with regenerated ecosystems and protected key species. This long-term vision shows how a company can go beyond its operations to have a real and lasting impact on biodiversity conservation.
Just like measuring your carbon footprint, the first step is awareness. We recommend starting with employee education through workshops such as the Biodiversity Mural and Biodiversity Mission, which help teams understand the connections between their activities and the natural environment, sparking deeper reflection on their role in conservation.
Next, it is important to diagnose your impact with measurable indicators, identify dependencies and risks, and then apply concrete actions like those mentioned above.
The importance of biodiversity is strategic, urgent, and a source of innovation. Companies that take action today will be more resilient tomorrow. Starting can be simple. At Nosotrxs, we help you do it. Write to us !