Side Event

Corporate ecosystem valuation – Business guidance and examples

Organizer
World Business Council for Sustainable Development

Date and Time
27 October 2010 13:15 - 14:45

Meeting
Tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 10)

If biodiversity and ecosystems are to be conserved, it is crucial to realize their true value. Yet, some of the most vital ecosystem services are also among the most difficult to bring to market. While the economic value of some ecosystem services is obvious, the value of other services is less obvious and more difficult to quantify. This side event will explore the exciting and timely topic of ecosystem valuation – but from a business perspective. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) has in partnership with ERM, IUCN, WRI, PwC and 15 company road testers developed a guide to corporate ecosystem valuation. The guide aims to help companies account for natural capital as an integral part of corporate planning and decision-making. Our work links with The Economics of Ecosystem and Biodiversity (TEEB) and can best be described as an attempt to operationalize TEEB for the corporate sector. During the event the overall framework of the guide will be presented along with practical case studies by a selection of WBCSD member companies.