Biodiversity and the private sector in Italy

At Etifor, we’ve been working for years to bridge the gap between nature conservation and business strategy. With our extensive experience in biodiversity, we’ve conducted a dedicated survey to understand the current state of biodiversity integration in Italian businesses. This report combines the findings from our survey with a detailed analysis of the policies, trends, and financial tools available to companies. The goal is to identify how the private sector can lead in preserving and restoring Italy’s rich but threatened ecosystems.

This survey gathered first-hand data from companies across multiple sectors, providing unique insights into their awareness, actions, and strategies regarding biodiversity. The results show a growing recognition of the issue: 25% of the companies involved in the survey currently rate their impact on biodiversity while 48% plan to integrate it into their strategies within the next five years. However, it’s clear that many still need to take concrete actions to back up these plans.

Biodiversity under threat

Italy’s flora and fauna are unique, but habitat destruction and overexploitation are pushing many species to extinction, with 24.3% of plants and 30% of vertebrate species endangered. This decline has already resulted in significant economic challenges like desertification, directly affecting agricultural productivity and, consequently, the economy.

The role of businesses

While some industries contribute to environmental degradation, companies that integrate biodiversity into their operations can seize significant opportunities for economic growth. Awareness is growing, but concrete actions are needed to turn this knowledge into impact.

REPORT DETAILS

Title: Biodiversity and the private sector in Italy. Trends, policies, and financial instruments.
Authors: Etifor | Valuing Nature e Università degli Studi di Padova
Network Partners: Unione Italiana Olio di Palma Sostenibile, Alleanza Italiana per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile (ASviS), B Lab Italy, Koinètica e Forum per la Finanza Sostenibile.
Publication date: October, 2024

Other initiatives  supporting biodiversity

• Discover our services in support of biodiversity
• BioClima: a public-private initiative to support investments in protected areas in Lombardy
• GoNaturePositive!: a project that aims to drive change towards a Nature Positive economy
• Italian Business @ Biodiversity Working Group: an initiative born in 2023 that aims to create an Italian network of companies and financial institutions that want to contribute to a nature-positive future.