Biodiversity – Significance for Society and the Economy

Dr. Alexis Katechakis (Freelance Corporate Sustainability Consultant, Director Sustainability at Hilda Ltd. Switzerland, Pact4Sustainability)

We are happy to present the next webinar in our series, Global Goals, Local Impact: Sustainably Ever After! The webinars in this series are free of charge and conducted in English. Register here.

Tuesday, 18 october 2025 | 18:00 – 19:30 CET

Why This Webinar Matters

A wide variety of species, ecosystems, and gene pools are essential for our well-being and survival. We depend on ecosystem services such as the availability of clean air, drinking water, and food, the buffering of global warming, and the value of nature as a recreational space or for the functioning of corporate value chains. The loss of biodiversity has long since become a geopolitical risk in many regions of the world.

Biodiversity in Europe continues to decline, despite efforts to halt and reverse the loss through the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030. The loss is driven by intensive land use, climate change, and pollution, with most habitats and many species in poor or inadequate condition. However, there are also positive developments in certain areas, such as forests and some mammal and bird species, which are benefiting from conservation measures and give hope that we can halt the loss of biodiversity in the medium term and reverse it in the long term if we take decisive action. Biologists play a crucial role in this.

Meet the Speaker

Dr. Alexis Katechakis has specialized in sustainability and corporate responsibility in science, society, and business for more than 25 years. For 15 years, he has been advising companies of various sizes and from various industries on the development and implementation of sustainability strategies, as well as on organizational development and communication. His scientific areas of expertise include biodiversity, water, marine ecosystems and ecological economics. Before becoming a consultant, he spent several years conducting marine research in Germany, Spain, and Norway. Alexis holds a PhD in biology and a master’s degree in sustainable resource management. As a member of the board of the UN Ocean Decade Committee in Germany and through his regular support of the NGO Aegean Rebreath in its marine conservation efforts, he remains closely connected to the sea.

Contents and objectives of the webinar: Highlight the relevance of biodiversity for society and the economy Communicating biodiversity narratives at the interface between science and the public Outline current EU reporting requirements on biodiversity (CSRD, ESRS E4) Provide an understanding of the development of a biodiversity strategy in companies Present the challenge of measuring biodiversity, ecosystem services, and nature capital and current developments Discuss ideas for the current and future role of biologists in cooperation with society and the economy

Register

The ECBA is a consortium member in the  Bridges and SYNAPSES Erasmus+ School Heads and Teacher Academy promoting Sustainability Citizenshipin schools. Sustainability Citizenship skills and competencies include the ability to recognize the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of climate change, the capacity to connect local actions and initiatives to global processes, and the ability to transition from analysis to systematic action on climate change and sustainability issues. The SYNAPSES Academy has the ambition to design and establish strong professional learning ecosystems around school communities. Through blended formal and informal learning opportunities we will support the development of whole and open-school approaches that offers pathways to transformative learning experiences for Sustainability Citizenship. As a Teacher Academy, SYNAPSES is funded by the Erasmus+ programme to create European partnerships and promote cooperation between teacher education institutions and training providers. If you are interested in the SYNAPSES Erasmus+ School Heads and Teacher Academy, you can sign up for the SYNAPSES Newsletter here.

Funded by the European Union. Contract Number: 101102346. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the consortium only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them..