Confluence Pilots a Biodiversity Investors’ Peer Group

Our planet is losing its biodiversity at an alarming rate. In the 2020 Living Planet Report, The World Wildlife Fund estimates that regional biodiversity loss ranged from an alarming 33% in North America to a whopping 94% in Latin America and the Caribbean since 1970. Unsustainable agriculture and logging were key drivers. The report emphasizes the relationship between people and biodiversity:

“…humanity’s increasing destruction of nature is having catastrophic impacts not only on wildlife populations but also on human health and all aspects of our lives. This highlights that a deep cultural and systemic shift is urgently needed, one that so far, our civilisation has failed to embrace: a transition to a society and economic system that values nature, stops taking it for granted and recognises that we depend on nature more than nature depends on us.”

Biodiversity and nature-based solutions have become an increasingly common topic in the Confluence community, particularly within the Climate Solutions Collaborative (C2C). There’s a growing recognition of biodiversity and climate existing as intertwined environmental crises. The concept of nature-based solutions arises from a recognition that preserving biodiversity is critical to mitigating and adapting to climate change. Reforestation, sustainable forestry, organic and regenerative agriculture, and sustainable fishing practices are powerful practices that protect biodiversity and benefit the climate. Meanwhile, not all investments are attentive to the impact they have on biodiversity, and siloed efforts to reduce greenhouse gases can lead to investments that accelerate the destruction of ecological systems. Solar and hydroelectric power are significant renewable energy alternatives deserving of investment, but not all projects consider biodiversity strongly enough. Without doing so, such projects disrupt and even destroy ecosystems, which paradoxically exacerbates climate change.

Efforts to protect biodiversity are profoundly implicated by issues of justice and equity as well. Communities across the world depend on local ecological systems, often for their livelihoods, health, and spiritual purposes. Land-based communities are hard hit by climate change and ecosystem destruction because they live closest to nature and, too often, lack access to financial resources or public systems that foster greater resilience. They also tend to be the very people most likely to steward natural resources and protect biodiversity. Indigenous communities make up a small fraction of the global population but protect more than 75% of the world’s remaining biodiversity. These communities are central to the health of the planet. Therefore, failing to consider the impact of investments on indigenous and rural communities can lead to disastrous consequences – for everyone.

In response to growing interest in these issues, The Climate Solutions Collaborative at Confluence is pleased to pilot a Biodiversity Investors’ Peer Group for asset owners.

We invite all interested Confluence investor members to join the peer group’s quarterly virtual meetings as we explore biodiversity and the interrelationships to climate and communities. We will aim to build common understandings and to identify key investment opportunities to protect biodiversity. We will explore ways to expand the use of a biodiversity lens among climate investors and encourage community engagement as part of the screening process. The peer group is intended to be co-designed by members, so additional topics will be identified as members convene.

The first meeting of the Biodiversity Peer Group will take place virtually on Monday, July 17^th from 1:00pm – 2:00pm ET. Please keep an eye out for the event announcement and register to join us!

For more information, please reach out to Jason K. Babbie, Vice President of Programs and Climate Solutions Director.

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Stacey Faella, Executive Director, Woodcock Foundation & Confluence Board Member