The importance of biodiversity to avoid an ecosystem collapse

In a world suddenly confronted by social distancing, dialogue becomes ever more important. Swiss Re Institute's Executive Dialogue Series (EDS) brings together Swiss Re executives and external experts in virtual dialogues with valued senior clients to discuss challenges across lines of business and operating environments. With a global audience, and operating in different time zones, the EDS will feature key topics that will help us navigate the post-COVID-19 world.

In September, the United Nations Biodiversity Summit highlighted the need for urgent action at the highest levels to support a global biodiversity framework. The announcement stated: "Biodiversity loss and the degradation of its contributions to people jeopardize progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and human wellbeing."

Insurers have the opportunity to create biodiversity benchmarks within underwriting and investment strategies. Our customers, regulators, rating agencies and other stakeholders increasingly expect it of us. 

This Executive Dialogue Series session brings together two leading Swiss Re experts to discuss how insurers can effectively build sustainability and biodiversity-promoting principles and targets into business practices. Gillian Rutherford-Liske, Head Reinsurance Sustainability at Swiss Re's Reinsurance Centre and Bernd Wilke, Group Senior Risk Manager are two of the authors of the Swiss Re Institute report "Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: A business case for re/insurance". They will discuss tools available to underwriters and investment officers, establishing prioritization, biodiversity risk valuation, and the lobbying power of the insurance industry.