NAIROBI, Kenya, July 13 (UPI) -- One in four corporate leaders worldwide said they view biodiversity loss as a threat to business growth, a U.N.-backed study issued from Kenya said.
The study, released Tuesday, found more than half of the chief executive officers surveyed in Latin America and 45 percent of business leaders in Africa said they view a decline in biodiversity as detrimental to their bottom line, compared with less than 20 percent in Western Europe, the United Nations said in a release.
Compiled by The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity, the study said 80 percent of consumers would stop purchasing products from companies ignoring ethical considerations in their sourcing practices.
"Through the work of (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity) and others, the economic importance of biodiversity and ecosystems is emerging from the invisible into the visible spectrum," said Pavan Sukhdev, study leader and head of Green Economy initiative of the U.N. Environment Program, based in Nairobi, Kenya.
The report highlighted multinational mining giant Rio Tinto as one company that committed to having a "Net Positive Impact" on biodiversity, developing new methods of assessing the biodiversity values of its land-holdings. Coca Cola, Walmart and BC Hydro also were listed as having similar commitments to reducing biodiversity loss.
"We are entering an era where the multitrillion-dollar losses of natural- and nature-based resources are starting to shape markets and consumer concerns," U.N. Environmental Program Executive Director Achim Steiner said.
