Commissioner Roswalls address at the event, ‘Delivering finance for nature and biodiversity hosted by the EU Delegation to the UK and the Zoological Society of London

Your excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am delighted to be here at the worlds oldest scientific zoo. And at the Zoological Society of London – which is celebrating 200 years of conservation this year.

Today, we are standing on the shoulders of giants, and I can hear their voices loud and clear.

Their call is echoed by conservationists and scientists all over the world – but also, increasingly, by economists and business leaders.

It is a simple but powerful message:

The natural world has powered our societies since the very dawn of human existence.

Nature filters our air, purifies our water, pollinates our food, and provides the soil that grows our crops.

But it is also the foundation of our industry, our businesses big and small, and our entire economies. 

In fact, our environment is not just a place where we can conduct business, it is the very system that makes all business possible.

More than 7 out of 10 companies in the euro area are critically dependent on nature.

At least 3 million companies in the EU are highly dependent on at least one ecosystem service.

What does all this mean? That our environment, our economy, and our financial sector are firmly and intrinsically connected.

It also clearly highlights the risks of biodiversity or ecosystem collapse. 

What is the future of farming communities and food security without healthy soil?

What about the fishing industry without healthy seas? 

How much of our electricity or manufacturing depend on water?

Take semiconductors – which power everything from fridges to phones to fighter jets.

An average chip manufacturing facility today can use 10 million gallons of ultrapure water per day.

I was very interested to read a recent UK government report warning that the collapse of global ecosystems was a direct threat to national security and prosperity.

And yet, still, nature is very often ignored or neglected.

Taken for granted as a free, infinite resource.

And invisible on corporate balance sheets.

We still value tech stocks more than fish stocks.

We pay more attention to shareholders than to soil health.

And we focus on profit and loss accounts more than pollinators, pollution or PFAS.

This needs to change.

Protecting and restoring nature is not a cost. It is an investment – not just in our future, but in our present too.

Investing in nature yields measurable economic returns and makes concrete business sense.

A recent Deloitte study found that more than four out of five companies increased their sustainability-related investments over the past year because of concrete benefits like revenue growth and cost reductions.

Another study showed that sustainability action is now closely linked to financial performance and long-term value creation.

Investing in nature also strengthens our resilience.

For example, restored floodplains along the Danube and the Elbe are reducing flood damage. 

And it drives innovation – from satellite-based biodiversity monitoring and regenerative agriculture to advanced bio-based materials and circular business models.

We need to maximise this potential -- and that means rewarding those who undertake restoration and bear its costs.

Last summer, the Commission adopted a Nature Credits Roadmap to boost private investments into nature positive actions – while ensuring integrity, transparency and strong safeguards.

Nature Credits can offer income diversification and financial support to land managers, farmers, foresters, fishers and local communities. 

We are also supporting pilot schemes inside the EU and internationally to test governance models and methodologies – to ensure that we deliver value for money.

The UK has established itself as a global leader in biodiversity markets – and I am interested to learn more about your experience.

We want front-running countries, international stakeholders and companies to share expertise and learn from each other.

Later this year, at the 17^th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biodiversity, we will have the first Global Review of Implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).

This is a key moment – showing us how far the world has progressed towards the commitments we made in 2022.

It will be a mixed story: disappointment in some areas, progress in others.

But we shouldnt be shy about what we have achieved.

In the EU, the Nature Restoration Regulation is a transformative step.

Globally, Im thinking of the BBNJ-Treaty, and the growing network of nature protected areas.

But real progress depends on real investment, and the EU is determined to play its part.

Almost 8% of the EU budget between 2021 and 2027 is devoted to biodiversity.

I know the UK has also made significant commitments in this area too.

However, we cannot ignore the challenges ahead.

Fiscal constraints and other spending priorities make it harder to continue, let alone increase government investment in biodiversity.

Unlike for climate, the opportunities for bankable projects, with clear and predictable revenue streams, are more limited for nature and biodiversity. 

But the potential and the promise are there – including payments for ecosystem services like watersheds or forests, protection of mangroves or wetlands to guard against floods or storms, and eco-tourism.

Ladies and gentlemen,

William Wordsworth famously wrote: “let nature be your teacher.”

Well, at the heart of every healthy ecosystem lies a simple truth – everything is connected, and nothing survives alone.

When one element thrives, it feeds and fuels the others.

There is a powerful lesson here.

When we protect and prioritise nature, we all thrive – our economies, our industry, and our societies.

So, we have to unlock private investment and ensure that it complements public finance.

We need to collaborate, because effective biodiversity finance projects are almost always built on strong, diverse partnerships.

We must build the foundation for a trusted market that reflects the rich diversity of our nature.

And we have to ensure that investing in nature becomes not the exception, but the rule - a driver of resilience, competitiveness, and long-term prosperity for everyone.

Thank you.