Deloitte Climate & Sustainability Competency Lab 2025
In this lecture, Ben Groom will discuss the importance of measuring and valuing biodiversity for decision making. Drawing from numerous studies including the Dasgupta Review, he will highlight the multiple ways of measuring biodiversity and the multiple economic values of biodiversity ranging from supporting and regulating ecosystem services, insurance/resilience services alongside cultural, bequest and option values. The difficulties of economics valuation of biodiversity lead to a cost-based proposal for biodiversity valuation to inform government investment appraisal and even private sector disclosure. The approach will be illustrated using examples from Europe and the tropics.
The webinar will also feature a contribution from Daniele Strippoli, Partner at Deloitte Climate & Sustainability and Nature Service Leader at Deloitte North-Southern Europe.
Ben Groom has a PhD in economics from the Department of Economics at University College London, and he joined the University of Exeter from the London School of Economics in 2020 as the Dragon Capital Chair in Biodiversity Economics.
He is a member of the HM Treasury Biodiversity Working Group, which looks at how to ensure biodiversity is accounted for Cost benefit Analysis of public policy and investment, and has advised governments across the world on their approach to long-term policy and investment in relation to environmental issues such as biodiversity and climate change. He has also worked as a consultant to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in Pakistan and the OECD.
His research interests include biodiversity and climate change economics, land-use change, and the causes of deforestation, habitat, and biodiversity loss.
Daniele Strippoli has over 20 years of international experience in sustainability and has cross-sector expertise gained from designing and implementing sustainable strategies in more than 40 countries worldwide. In particular, he has developed approaches aligned with the most innovative sectoral frameworks (TCFD-TNFD, SBTI-SBTN, ESRS).
In addition to supporting clients in defining biodiversity/nature strategies, he is currently focused on deepening his work on Nature-Based Solutions, particularly regarding the valuation of carbon credits (VCM) and biodiversity credits (IAPB). He is also exploring the nexus between climate, nature, and social aspects to achieve global goals for climate adaptation and nature restoration. He is an active member of task forces focused on TNFD, EUDR, CS3D, and the WBCSD’s Nature Positive initiatives.