IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/finana/v102y2025ics1057521925001565.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Biodiversity conservation and corporate environmental information disclosure: Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China

Author

Listed:
  • Chen, Yinying
  • Yin, Liang
  • Hu, Shiyang
  • Li, Xiang

Abstract

This study examines the causal relationship between biodiversity conservation and corporate environmental information disclosure (EID) by leveraging the exogenous shock to neighboring urban firms in China brought about by the National Park Pilot (NPP) policy. Using a staggered difference-in-differences model, our findings demonstrate a significant causal increase in the EID levels of firms affected by the NPP policy. Further analysis reveals that the positive impact of this policy on corporate EID level is more pronounced among firms without green investors, having lower levels of retail investor interaction, and operating in non-heavily polluting industries. Overall, our study suggests that the implementation of the NPP policy enhances the market value of affected firms substantially.

Suggested Citation

  • Chen, Yinying & Yin, Liang & Hu, Shiyang & Li, Xiang, 2025. "Biodiversity conservation and corporate environmental information disclosure: Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finana:v:102:y:2025:i:c:s1057521925001565
    DOI: 10.1016/j.irfa.2025.104069
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1057521925001565
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.irfa.2025.104069?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Pascual Berrone & Andrea Fosfuri & Liliana Gelabert, 2017. "Does Greenwashing Pay Off? Understanding the Relationship Between Environmental Actions and Environmental Legitimacy," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 144(2), pages 363-379, August.
    2. Emirhan Ilhan & Philipp Krueger & Zacharias Sautner & Laura T Starks, 2023. "Climate Risk Disclosure and Institutional Investors," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 36(7), pages 2617-2650.
    3. Boot, Arnoud W A & Thakor, Anjan V, 2001. "The Many Faces of Information Disclosure," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 14(4), pages 1021-1057.
    4. A. Garel & A. Petit-Romec & Z. Sautner & A. Wagner, 2024. "Do investors care about biodiversity?," Post-Print hal-04649052, HAL.
    5. Dayuan Li & Min Huang & Shenggang Ren & Xiaohong Chen & Lutao Ning, 2018. "Environmental Legitimacy, Green Innovation, and Corporate Carbon Disclosure: Evidence from CDP China 100," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 150(4), pages 1089-1104, July.
    6. Song, Yan & Zhang, Xiao & Zhang, Ming, 2021. "The influence of environmental regulation on industrial structure upgrading: Based on the strategic interaction behavior of environmental regulation among local governments," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    7. Alexandre Garel & Arthur Romec & Zacharias Sautner & Alexander F Wagner, 2024. "Do investors care about biodiversity?," Review of Finance, European Finance Association, vol. 28(4), pages 1151-1186.
    8. Zhou, Bo & Ding, Hao, 2023. "How public attention drives corporate environmental protection: Effects and channels," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    9. David Tilman & Michael Clark & David R. Williams & Kaitlin Kimmel & Stephen Polasky & Craig Packer, 2017. "Future threats to biodiversity and pathways to their prevention," Nature, Nature, vol. 546(7656), pages 73-81, June.
    10. G. Andrew Karolyi & John Tobin‐de la Puente, 2023. "Biodiversity finance: A call for research into financing nature," Financial Management, Financial Management Association International, vol. 52(2), pages 231-251, June.
    11. Simon Cadez & Albert Czerny & Peter Letmathe, 2019. "Stakeholder pressures and corporate climate change mitigation strategies," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(1), pages 1-14, January.
    12. Jianming Zhang & Gongqian Liang & Taiwen Feng & Chunlin Yuan & Wenbo Jiang, 2020. "Green innovation to respond to environmental regulation: How external knowledge adoption and green absorptive capacity matter?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(1), pages 39-53, January.
    13. Hirshleifer, David & Teoh, Siew Hong, 2003. "Limited attention, information disclosure, and financial reporting," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 36(1-3), pages 337-386, December.
    14. Dong, Rui & Fisman, Raymond & Wang, Yongxiang & Xu, Nianhang, 2021. "Air pollution, affect, and forecasting bias: Evidence from Chinese financial analysts," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 139(3), pages 971-984.
    15. Campbell, Tim S & Kracaw, William A, 1980. "Information Production, Market Signalling, and the Theory of Financial Intermediation," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 35(4), pages 863-882, September.
    16. Ma, Feng & Wu, Hanlin & Zeng, Qing, 2024. "Biodiversity and stock returns," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 95(PA).
    17. Cho, Charles H. & Patten, Dennis M., 2007. "The role of environmental disclosures as tools of legitimacy: A research note," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 32(7-8), pages 639-647.
    18. Justin Chircop & Michele Fabrizi & Patrizia Malaspina & Antonio Parbonetti, 2023. "Anti‐Mafia Police Actions, Criminal Firms, and Peer Firm Tax Avoidance," Journal of Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 61(1), pages 243-277, March.
    19. Cohen, Shira & Kadach, Igor & Ormazabal, Gaizka, 2023. "Institutional investors, climate disclosure, and carbon emissions," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(2).
    20. Wong, T.J. & Yu, Gwen & Zhang, Shubo & Zhang, Tianyu, 2024. "Calling for transparency: Evidence from a field experiment," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(1).
    21. S. Zeng & X. Xu & H. Yin & C. Tam, 2012. "Factors that Drive Chinese Listed Companies in Voluntary Disclosure of Environmental Information," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 109(3), pages 309-321, September.
    22. X. Meng & S. Zeng & C. Tam & X. Xu, 2013. "Whether Top Executives’ Turnover Influences Environmental Responsibility: From the Perspective of Environmental Information Disclosure," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 114(2), pages 341-353, May.
    23. Zhang, Ziqi & Su, Zhi & Wang, Ke & Zhang, Yongji, 2022. "Corporate environmental information disclosure and stock price crash risk: Evidence from Chinese listed heavily polluting companies," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    24. Xing, Chao & Zhang, Yuming & Tripe, David, 2021. "Green credit policy and corporate access to bank loans in China: The role of environmental disclosure and green innovation," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    25. Magali A. Delmas & Michael W. Toffel, 2008. "Organizational responses to environmental demands: opening the black box," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(10), pages 1027-1055, October.
    26. Wiseman, Joanne, 1982. "An evaluation of environmental disclosures made in corporate annual reports," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 7(1), pages 53-63, January.
    27. Angela Patrícia Bovolini Pedron & Clea Beatriz Macagnan & Davi Souza Simon & Daniel Francisco Vancin, 2021. "Environmental disclosure effects on returns and market value," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 4614-4633, March.
    28. Shi, Bo & Wang, Xiaoran & Jiang, Xiaowen & Yang, Huikang & Sui, Wenzhao, 2024. "Green institutional investors’ shareholding and corporate environmental responsibility," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 62(PB).
    29. Liao, Xianchun & Shi, Xunpeng (Roc), 2018. "Public appeal, environmental regulation and green investment: Evidence from China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 554-562.
    30. Callaway, Brantly & Sant’Anna, Pedro H.C., 2021. "Difference-in-Differences with multiple time periods," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 225(2), pages 200-230.
    31. Wen, Fenghua & Xu, Longhao & Ouyang, Guangda & Kou, Gang, 2019. "Retail investor attention and stock price crash risk: Evidence from China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    32. Lang, Qiaoqi & Ma, Feng & Mirza, Nawazish & Umar, Muhammad, 2023. "The interaction of climate risk and bank liquidity: An emerging market perspective for transitions to low carbon energy," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    33. Verrecchia, Robert E., 1983. "Discretionary disclosure," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 179-194, April.
    34. Andreas Andrikopoulos & Nikoleta Kriklani, 2013. "Environmental Disclosure and Financial Characteristics of the Firm: The Case of Denmark," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(1), pages 55-64, January.
    35. Zhou, Min & Govindan, Kannan & Xie, Xiongbiao & Yan, Liang, 2021. "How to drive green innovation in China's mining enterprises? Under the perspective of environmental legitimacy and green absorptive capacity," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    36. Xiangan Ding & Ying Qu & Mohsin Shahzad, 2019. "The Impact of Environmental Administrative Penalties on the Disclosure of Environmental Information," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-24, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Liu, Xinghe & Xu, Huifeng & Lu, Meiting, 2021. "Do auditors respond to stringent environmental regulation? Evidence from China’s new environmental protection law," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 54-67.
    2. Linyan Fan & Sheng Yao, 2022. "Analyst Site Visits and Corporate Environmental Information Disclosure: Evidence from China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-21, December.
    3. Xiaohua Meng & Saixing Zeng & Xuemei Xie & Hailiang Zou, 2019. "Beyond symbolic and substantive: Strategic disclosure of corporate environmental information in China," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(2), pages 403-417, February.
    4. Xing, Chao & Zhang, Xinyue & Zhang, Yuming & Zhang, Luxiu, 2024. "From green-washing to innovation-washing: Environmental information intangibility and corporate green innovation in China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 93(PB), pages 204-226.
    5. Zhang, Mengzhi & He, Wenjian, 2025. "Encouraging or inhibiting: Can analyst attention reduce corporate greenwashing behavior?," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 943-962.
    6. Flammer, Caroline & Giroux, Thomas & Heal, Geoffrey M., 2025. "Biodiversity finance," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    7. Xie, Xuemei & Wang, Mengge, 2025. "Dark side of green subsidies: Do green subsidies to a focal firm crowd out peers’ green innovation?," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    8. Chen, Hongtao & Fang, Xiumei & Xiang, Erwei & Ji, Xiaojia & An, Maolin, 2023. "Do online media and investor attention affect corporate environmental information disclosure？Evidence from Chinese listed companies," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 1022-1040.
    9. Rongbing Huang & Yubo Huang, 2020. "Does Internal Control Contribute to a Firm’s Green Information Disclosure? Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-23, April.
    10. Mumtaheena Anwar & Sohanur Rahman & Md. Nurul Kabir, 2021. "Does national carbon pricing policy affect voluntary environmental disclosures? A global evidence," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 23(2), pages 211-244, April.
    11. Yinglin Huang & Claude Francoeur & Stephen Brammer, 2022. "What drives and curbs brownwashing?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(5), pages 2518-2532, July.
    12. Huy Viet Hoang, 2024. "Environmental, social, and governance disclosure in response to climate policy uncertainty: Evidence from US firms," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(2), pages 4293-4333, February.
    13. Md Ali Arshad Chowdhury & Mohammad Morshedur Rahman & Mouri Dey & Syed Moudud-Ul-Huq & Sk Alamgir Hossain, 2023. "Perceived Pressures and Motivations for Environmental Disclosures: Role of Certification," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(4), pages 21582440231, December.
    14. Zhou, Chengchen & Chen, Yajie & Ji, Qiang & Zhang, Dayong, 2025. "Does public attention to biodiversity matter to stock markets?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    15. Cheng, Huifang & Cao, An & Hong, Chenxiang & Liu, Dengao & Wang, Mengying, 2025. "Can green investors improve the quality of corporate environmental information disclosure?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    16. Feng, Lingbing & Huang, Dasen & Chen, Fengwen & Liao, Fangnan, 2024. "Leveraging climate risk disclosure for enhanced corporate innovation: Pathways to sustainable and resilient business practices," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 96(PB).
    17. Zhang, Cui, 2017. "Political connections and corporate environmental responsibility: Adopting or escaping?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 539-547.
    18. Li, Qianqian & Watts, Edward M. & Zhu, Christina, 2024. "Retail investors and ESG news," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(2).
    19. Rudra P. Pradhan & S. M. R. K. Samarakoon & Rana P. Maradana & Premjit Sahoo, 2025. "Climate change disclosure and firm value in a frontier market: Exploring the determinants," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 49(2), pages 1931-1964, May.
    20. Jannik Gerwanski, 2020. "Does it pay off? Integrated reporting and cost of debt: European evidence," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(5), pages 2299-2319, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:finana:v:102:y:2025:i:c:s1057521925001565. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/620166 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.