IPBES Releases New Report Warning That “Businesses That Ignore Nature Will Not Survive” 
On February 9, 2026, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) issued a media release warning that companies are degrading nature even as they depend on natural capital, creating severe risks for the entire economic and financial system. The accompanying report, Business and Biodiversity Assessment, provides guidance for companies to understand how their operations affect forests, water resources, ecosystems, and other natural environments, as well as how their business models depend on these natural assets.
The report organizes methods for assessing impacts and dependencies and presents more than one hundred concrete measures that companies, governments, financial institutions, and civil society should take to halt nature loss. It also stresses the need for institutional reforms and stronger data infrastructure to support these efforts. Transitioning to business models that are aligned with nature—so‑called “nature‑positive” management—is described as essential for balancing long‑term corporate profitability with broader societal sustainability. Companies are both agents of this transformation and beneficiaries of its outcomes.
