Corporate Preferences for Biodiversity Investment

Open online seminar with Qian Liu, Department of Food and Resource Economics.

Title:
Corporate Preferences for Biodiversity Investment: Evidence from a Discrete Choice Experiment across Medium and Large European Firms

Abstract:
The deepening biodiversity crisis has elevated the role of private capital in conservation finance, as policymakers seek scalable solutions beyond the limits of public funding. Yet, empirical insights into corporate decision-making on biodiversity investment remain limited. We conduct a discrete choice experiment with 418 senior decision-makers and investment professionals from medium and large firms across Europe, using an online survey to explore firms’ potential engagement in biodiversity investments. We apply a mixed logit model to analyze firms’ preferences for key project attributes and examine heterogeneity across firms. We also discuss potential drivers and barriers to corporate participation in biodiversity investments. Results reveal a clear preference for engagement over inaction, particularly among firms in carbon-intensive sectors, those led by environmentally informed executives, and those with higher benefit expectations. Firms favor domestic projects, or projects located within Europe, and respond positively to both government and third-party certification, though regional variation exists. Firms also prefer to align biodiversity investments with their sourcing geographies. These findings suggest that policy instruments aiming to scale up private biodiversity investment should prioritize credible certification schemes, support regionally anchored projects.

How to participate:
The seminar is open to all.
The seminar will take place online via Zoom