There’s an enormous focus on climate change, and for all the right reasons. But as the CEO of an organization focused on conservation, I've seen firsthand that there’s a companion crisis to climate change—biodiversity loss—that should be partnered with the climate change focus and funding.

Almost all climate change work will help wildlife, from stopping the destruction of rainforests to protecting the ice remaining on the poles. As leaders committed to a sustainable future, it's important to acknowledge the connected crisis of biodiversity loss and provide additional support to save wildlife while we're working to make the planet habitable for all. Many organizations and businesses have committed to addressing climate change, but there are many elements to consider in this goal. Along with efforts to mitigate climate change, supporting biodiversity is critical for future generations to survive and thrive.

Biodiversity is a significant factor for our health, our economy, our food and our security. Organisms help supply us with oxygen, clean water, fruits and vegetables, healthy soil, flood protection, feed for animals, pest control, breakthrough cures for our diseases and more, and we're losing some of these organisms already. About 75% of our food needs animals for pollination. And 70% of our cancer drugs were inspired by a molecule found in nature, with more breakthrough drugs derived from plants and animals in the works.

Fortunately, there are clear steps forward.

  1. Saving wildlife and their habitats is, in fact, one way to help address our climate change crisis. Often called "nature-based solutions" to climate change, protecting wildlife and their habitats is a win-win solution for reducing the effects of climate change.
  2. We know how to succeed.  Up to 48 species have been saved from extinction thanks to recent conservation efforts. I've found that the most success has come from protecting lands where wildlife thrive, restricting hunting, controlling invasive species and reintroducing threatened species in healthier numbers to the newly protected land.
  3. The GDP investment required to save biodiversity and our future is large, but feasible. Per the IUCN, "To halt biodiversity loss by 2030 and achieve recovery by 2050 [will require an] additional investment in nature equivalent to between 0.7 and 1% of annual global GDP." While these are big numbers, they are small as an overall percentage.

Read the full article about biodiversity by Lynn Mento at Forbes.