Conclusions

This concluding chapter summarises the volume’s key findings. Biodiversity loss is a tangible phenomenon, already impacting value chains, credit quality, and the stability of entire sectors, placing banks at the centre of a profound yet still halting transformation. Indeed, biodiversity often remains marginal in risk management and reporting practices, partly due to incomplete metrics, insufficient data, and still limited regulatory guidance. The volume shows that measurement tools are improving and that the financial sector is experimenting with new products, from sustainability-linked loans to conservation bonds, albeit unevenly and with the need for more robust standards. Empirical evidence indicates that banks that integrate environmental and biodiversity risks are more resilient and profitable. The policy message is clear: biodiversity is becoming a central element of financial stability. Supervisors and regulators must provide more precise expectations, credible metrics, and tools to mobilise private capital. Ultimately, the safety of financial systems increasingly depends on the safety of natural systems, and finance must ensure that its activities do not accelerate ecological degradation but contribute, where possible, to nature-positive outcomes.