UN biodiversity chief warns companies lag on nature loss

United Nations biodiversity executive secretary Astrid Schomaker said that companies and financial institutions are moving too slowly to address nature loss, a risk that threatens profits, economic growth and global supply chains. She made the remarks ahead of preparatory talks for COP17 in Nairobi and the next round of Convention on Biological Diversity negotiations in Armenia. Schomaker noted that despite biodiversity being listed among the World Economic Forum’s top global risks for several years, many firms remain on the sidelines, lacking the time, resources and disclosure requirements to assess biodiversity impacts across their supply chains.

The UN highlighted that progress on the Kunming‑Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework – which aims to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030 and mobilise at least $200 billion annually – has been sluggish. A 2023 UN study found more than $7 trillion invested in activities harmful to nature, largely by the private sector. Redirecting private capital and scaling up the Cali Fund were identified as the biggest challenges for the upcoming COP17 review.