IPBES Global Assessment Findings Used in WEF Briefing Paper on Biodiversity Credits

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) A new briefing paper by the World Economic Forum cites the 2019 IPBES Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, mentioning in its introduction that "Human activity is eroding the world’s ecological foundations. Over 1 million species are at risk of extinction, one third of the world’s topsoil has been degraded, forest fires are now more extensive and destructive than at any time in the past 10,000 years and 50% of the world’s coral reefs are destroyed."

The paper, titled “Biodiversity Credits: Unlocking Financial Markets for Nature-Positive Outcomes,” is the output of past months’ deliberation with the Working Group on Biodiversity Credits. The paper points out that biodiversity credits are part of a company’s nature-positive journey –an investment in nature’s recovery, rather than an offset for damages.