Biodiversity is a consideration of the environmental impact of real estate that is critical, but often completely overlooked. As well as offering substantive performance benefits, promoting biodiversity can be done with limited capital expenditure as part of a broader sustainability strategy.

Ecosystems are crucial as half of global GDP, or $44 trillion (€40.4 trillion) of economic value, is dependent on the services they provide, according to the World Economic Forum. Biodiversity, however, is declining at an unprecedented rate. The WWF and Zoological Society of London estimate there has been a 69 percent reduction in wildlife populations since 1970 — and a massive 30 percent of this loss can be attributed to real estate. This is potentially catastrophic for humanity and our economic system because ecosystems provide fundamental services that businesses depend on — such as air filtration, pollination, flood protection, and carbon sequestration.

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