Biodiversity and Nature – White Paper
Biodiversity loss is a systemic risk and one of the biggest global challenges of our time. As nature is being eroded at rates unprecedented in human history and we are facing the irreversible loss of plant and animal species, habitats and vital crops, biodiversity is an increasingly important topic.
Research by the World Economic Forum (WEF) has found that USD 44 trillion of economic value generation – more than half of the world’s total GDP – is moderately or highly dependent on nature and its services1. At the same time, WEF estimates that nature-positive transitions could generate up to USD 10.1 trillion in annual business value and create 395 million jobs by 20302.
As the single largest asset manager in the Nordics, Nordea Asset Management (hereafter “NAM”, “we”, “us” or “our”) acknowledges our role in attempting to prevent biodiversity loss and channelling capital flows towards nature-positive solutions. As such, we have been working actively with our portfolio companies to address this since we became a member of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment in 2007.3
1) Source: World Economic Forum 2) Source: European Commission, The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity 3) Descriptions of active ownership activities in this document refer to actions taken on behalf of the funds managed by Nordea Investment Funds S.A. and Nordea Funds Ltd. Depending on specific client requests, such actions may also be taken on behalf of clients to whom Nordea Investment Management AB provide portfolio management services, subject to individually negotiated agreements.