By Chuks Oyema-Aziken
The world’s leading biodiversity science body is set to put businesses and financial institutions firmly in the spotlight with the release of a major new global assessment next month.
The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), often dubbed the “IPCC for nature,” will publish its Business and Biodiversity Report on February 9, 2026, following government approval at its plenary meeting in Manchester.
The report, three years in the making, lays out evidence-based options for companies, investors and policymakers to reduce biodiversity loss while supporting sustainable economic activity. It aims to help the private and financial sectors better understand their dependence on nature and align business practices with biodiversity protection.
Dr Luke Parsons of The Nature Conservancy said the findings add to mounting evidence that environmental and climate impacts are accelerating fastest in vulnerable regions. Low-income countries, he warned, face some of the sharpest increases in extreme heat despite being least equipped to respond, underscoring the urgency of cutting emissions and scaling up nature-based solutions.
The assessment was authored by experts from science, the private sector, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and will be released as a Summary for Policymakers after approval by representatives from IPBES’ 150 member governments — a process that gives the report its global authority.
As biodiversity loss accelerates and scrutiny of corporate environmental impacts grows, the report is expected to fuel calls for stronger accountability, nature-positive investment and systemic change across global value chains.
