The business sector moves forward on a biodiversity agenda.

Cartagena, August 19, 2025. In a critical moment for both the environment and the economy in Colombia, business leaders gathered on August 13 at the 10th ANDI Business Congress to discuss how to protect the country’s natural wealth through innovative biodiversity financing.

The participating companies agreed on the urgency of developing a long-term vision for Colombia, where biodiversity is not treated as an environmental externality, but as a strategic infrastructure that underpins the country’s competitiveness. The conversation centered around how to mobilize investments that ensure operational resilience, access to sustainable markets, and the stability of value chains, all through nature-based solutions.

Organized by WRI Colombia, Terrasos, Fundación Santo Domingo, and Instiglio, with support from BID Lab and backing from the ANDI National Water and Biodiversity Center, the event focused on innovative mechanisms for financing biodiversity, such as payment-for-results schemes, biodiversity units, impact investing, and conservation contracts.

This dialogue promotes coordinated corporate action to protect biodiversity and position Colombia as a global laboratory for innovative conservation financing. To that end, this select group of CEOs, impact investors, and sustainability decision-makers exchanged opinions and expectations on biodiversity financing models, which have shown to generate economic value while restoring ecosystems in other countries.

Latin America, home to 40% of the world’s biodiversity, faces weak regulatory frameworks and scattered efforts that fail to stop the crisis. To reverse this, Target 19 of the Global Biodiversity Framework estimates that $200 billion annually will be needed by 2030.

In this context, Fernando Páez, Executive Director of WRI Colombia, emphasized the key role of the private sector: "We are meeting to catalyze investments that integrate nature protection with social and economic progress, recognizing that the conservation of biodiversity and its ecosystem services is essential for community well-being and the country’s resilience." He added, "Through this meeting, we aim to drive financing mechanisms that deliver tangible results in preserving ecosystems that sustain our future".

Meanwhile, Daniel González, Director of Social Investment at Fundación Santo Domingo, revealed how private capital can become a driving force in the global biodiversity agenda: "We are facing the greatest opportunity to align profitability with regeneration. Colombia is at a tipping point where it can become a global leader in how biodiversity is financed and protected. By linking financing to measurable outcomes, we enhance the effectiveness of investments and strengthen the trust necessary to mobilize resources on a large scale".

From a business perspective, Mariana Sarmiento, CEO of Terrasos, demonstrated with concrete examples how to turn ecosystems into strategic assets and pointed out, "The fate of our ecological infrastructure—the vital fabric upon which our survival depends—is being decided now, by transforming commitments into concrete actions through innovative models like Habitat Banks. Just as we have financed gray infrastructure for decades, such as bridges, roads, and networks that connect countries and unite us as a region, we must now recognize the value of the services biodiversity provides: water, pollination, climate regulation, and resilience".

During the event, three key themes were discussed: investment experiences in biodiversity, such as environmental offsets and partnerships with communities; barriers like the lack of common metrics and policy fragmentation; and solutions, including public-private financial instruments and clear standards to reduce risks for investors. This exercise allowed for capturing the voices of the business sector, highlighting both the opportunities and specific challenges for scaling up biodiversity investment from the private sector.