Responsible Investor Engagement on Extinction Prevention

Our world is currently experiencing a sixth period of mass species extinction. Current extinction rates are estimated somewhere between a thousand and ten thousand times higher than the ‘natural’ level of extinction. Causes include industrial activity, increasing human population, global warming, climate change, habitat loss, pollution, use of pesticides, mono-agriculture, as well as criminal activities affecting wildlife, such as poaching. Multinational businesses in high environmental impact sectors have been changing the natural landscape for centuries, resulting in the loss of habitats and the collapse of biodiversity. Climate change is affecting migrations, breeding patterns as well as destroying natural communities such as sea life. Business has a responsibility to prevent the ongoing extinction crisis. As well as a moral obligation, there are financial risks associated with extinction. Corporate value, as well as institutional investor returns, are at risk from species extinction for a wide array of reasons. This PhD project aims to research the ways in which responsible investors are engaging with companies on species protection, for example on marine stewardship and pollinator decline. The student will adopt a grounded theory approach to interviewing an extensive sample of responsible investors to explore the current state of species engagement as well as to research ways of improving engagement processes.