Intact ecosystems - such as clean, species-rich rivers or near-natural forests - are the subject of environmental reporting in Germany, but surprisingly they hardly play a role in the economic and business information bases. This means that, on the one hand, the manifold contributions of ecosystems to social well-being and also prosperity are underestimated, and on the other hand, biodiversity as the basis of sustainable services provided by nature is systematically forgotten.

In the project Bio-Mo-D we are researching how corporate and national economic reporting in Germany can be expanded to include ecosystem services and biodiversity indicators. The UN guidelines for a "System of Environmental Economic Accounting - Ecosystem Accounting" and an EU directive on "Corporate Sustainability Reporting" have created a completely new dynamic in this area. The IZT is focussing on investigating which stakeholders are active in Germany and which interest alliances are developing. The description of the policy field is also computer-aided, in co-operation with the company Consideo.

The aim is to provide business, political and social leaders with information to make ecologically sustainable decisions and consequently to show more appreciation for nature and biodiversity.

On 10 September 2024, the final conference was held under the title "Modernising economic reporting - a way to increase the social appreciation of biodiversity in Germany". Representatives and stakeholders from business, politics and NGOS were invited to discuss and reflect on the final results.

See Programme for the final conference and Conference report

 

More info