If Italian companies invested 93 euros per year in the protection and restoration of biodiversity for every million in turnover, it would be possible to achieve the ambitious national goal of restoring 90% of habitats in poor conservation status by 2050, i.e. 723,500 hectares. The annual cost necessary to support recovery actions is equal to 260 million euros, or 0.013% of the national GDP. Furthermore, for each euro invested, a return in benefits for the community of 14.7 euros is estimated. These are some of the data “on the crucial role that the private sector can play in combating the damage to ecosystems” presented on the occasion of the European Business & Nature Summit (Ebns) in Milan. The initiative – explain the organizers – is of the European Commission organized in collaboration with the spin-off of the University of Padua Etifor, the Forum for Sustainable Finance, Lombardy Region and the European Business & Biodiversity Platform.
The Etifor team’s analysis is based on the Impact Assessment Study. Biodiversity recovery and conservation activities in Italy would lead to overall economic benefits of almost 70 billion euros by 2050. This depends on the ability of biodiversity-rich ecosystems to provide ecosystem services, such as carbon storage and sequestration, regulation of water quality and erosion control, pollination, production of renewable raw materials (such as wood and biomass for energy use, food and fibre), flood risk management and cultural, recreational or tourist services.
“We need to definitively dispel the myth that sees companies as almost exclusive actors in the ongoing environmental crises: the causes are systemic”, explained Alessandro Leonardi, CEO of Etifor.
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