Development of corporate biodiversity conservation management tools

The article examines corporate biodiversity conservation activities as an important area of sustainable development and the ESG agenda. The relevance of the topic is attributable to the fact that biodiversity loss risks are ranked among the ten most significant global risks according to the World Economic Forum Global Risks Report 2026 and are also recognized as one of the ten key areas of the global sustainable development (ESG) agenda. The aim of the study is to analyze the tools employed by Russian companies to conserve biodiversity. Particular attention is paid to the types of non-financial reporting through which corporations disclose their biodiversity-related activities, including GRI, TNFD, and CDP frameworks. The study defines the concept of impact management and systematizes biodiversity conservation tools, which are evolving from a peripheral component of corporate environmental responsibility into an independent area within the ESG agenda. The practices of PJSC Severstal and PJSC Polyus are examined in detail as case studies, as both companies are leaders in the RAEX ESG ranking and in the ranking of Russia’s largest mining companies in biodiversity conservation compiled by the Nature and People Foundation. The article identifies the lack of methodologies for assessing ecosystem services and biodiversity at the corporate level as a key challenge. The findings may be of practical interest to directors responsible for strategy and sustainable development, ESG professionals, and researchers from various fields focusing on sustainable development and the impact of business activities on nature.

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