Financing Biodiversity
Biodiversity is declining at an alarming rate worldwide and the imperative for action has never been more pressing. The financial sector can potentially combat this decline and drive sustainable transitions within important industries, such as food, energy and infrastructure. The research team behind ‘Financing biodiversity’ is taking on the challenge to help Dutch institutional investors upscale their nature-positive investments, paving the way for a more sustainable future.
Pension funds
In the Dutch financial sector, pension funds are, with their substantial assets under management and long-term focus, uniquely positioned to address biodiversity concerns. Although institutional investors are increasingly focusing on aligning investment portfolios with biodiversity targets, the integration of sustainable practices within both the business and financial sectors remains a major challenge.
Goal
This project aims to accelerate biodiversity positive practices in a co-learning process between investors, academics and associated organizations. The focus lays on institutional investors predominately connected to pension funds who started with integrating biodiversity. Our project team will actively engage with selected pension funds in workshops to scale up financing of biodiversity and discuss integration approaches throughout the following process:
- State-of-the-Art Mapping: Assess current practices, challenges, and knowledge needs in biodiversity management.
- Learning: Explore the connection between biodiversity and finance, with insights on materiality, tools, targets, and engagement strategies.
- Creation: Develop and test practical, actionable strategies for biodiversity integration in e.g. contracts with asset and portfolio managers.
- Actionable insights: Reflect on outcomes, share lessons learned, and identify next steps for broader implementation and engagement.
Incubator phase
The research team has used their incubator funding to create a comprehensive guide for possibilities to connect biodiversity and the financial sector. Interviews with external stakeholders led to insight into the current status and existing tools for biodiversity monitoring. More connection was made at the Biodiversity Finance Event in November 2023, where 120 finance professionals discussed the options for preventing biodiversity loss. Key takeaways from this event are the need for active engagement with decision makers, built-up of a coalition, perseverance, and embracement of free tools for boosting biodiversity finance efforts.
Team
- Geosciences - Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development - Innovation sciences - Organisations and Sustainability
- Geosciences - Sustainability - Energy and Resources, Participatory Action Research
- Geosciences - Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development - Energy & Resources - Energy System Analysis
- Geosciences, Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Energy & Resources, Biobased Economy
- Law, Economics and Governance - Utrecht University School of Economics - Entrepreneurship
- Law, Economics and Governance - Utrecht University School of Economics - Finance
- Law, Economics and Governance - Utrecht University School of Economics - Entrepreneurship
- Science - Biology - Environmental Biology - Ecology and Biodiversity
Jack Davies
PhD CandidateResearch and Education AssistantProject CoordinatorEmail: j.b.p.davies@uu.nl- Humanities - Faculty Office - Research Management Services - Project Support
- Humanities - Economic and Social History - History of International Relations
Non-UU partners
- Dieuwertje Bosma, Sustainable Finance Lab (SFL) and Sustainable Pension Investments Lab (SPIL)
- Gerdie Knijp, Sustainable Finance Lab (SFL) and Sustainable Pension Investments Lab (SPIL)
- Paul Dingkuhn, WUR - Environmental Economics and Natural Resources Group