Biodiversity: The Meteoric Rise of a Critical Issue

Biodiversity is now among the top three areas of interest for Canadian institutional investors, along with climate change and equity, diversity and inclusion issues. According to a December 2022 survey of 27 asset owners and managers, 48% consider it a priority, up from 18% two years earlier.

While this recent rise in investor interest in biodiversity may surprise some, for many others it is an expected development, given that companies across the world rely so heavily on access to natural capital. Unprecedented impacts to natural systems and biodiversity—for example, global wildlife populations have plunged 69% between 1970 and 20182 — make more urgent than ever for investors to understand these issues.