New International Standard to Mainstream Biodiversity in Organizational Strategies

Written By Erik Grigoryan

The International Organization for Standardization has published a new global standard — ISO 17298:2025 “Biodiversity — Considering biodiversity in the strategy and operations of organizations — Requirements and guidelines” — to help organizations integrate biodiversity into their core strategies, operations, and decision-making.

Biodiversity is essential for life on Earth, healthy ecosystems, and resilient economies. Yet global biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented pace. ISO 17298 provides a practical framework for organizations to understand their dependencies and impacts on nature and to take concrete actions to address them.

Why ISO 17298 Matters

More than USD 44 trillion — over half of the world’s GDP — is moderately or highly dependent on nature. As biodiversity risks grow, so do regulatory, reputational, and operational pressures. ISO 17298 enables organizations to move from commitment to real action.

The standard is relevant for businesses, local authorities, NGOs, and public institutions. It supports organizations to:

  • Understand their biodiversity impacts, dependencies, and risks

  • Identify opportunities for green growth and nature-positive finance

  • Align with the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework

  • Develop and implement credible biodiversity action plans

Key Benefits of ISO 17298

  • Aligns organizational strategies with emerging biodiversity policies and disclosure requirements

  • Reduces risks and builds resilience across supply chains and operations

  • Unlocks green finance, investor confidence, and market opportunities

  • Enables transparent reporting on nature-related performance

  • Strengthens institutional capacity, particularly for SMEs and public entities in developing countries

What’s in the Standard

ISO 17298 guides organizations to:

  • Assess how their activities interact with biodiversity

  • Prioritize actions at operational and landscape levels

  • Set measurable objectives and track progress

  • Integrate biodiversity into broader sustainability strategies (e.g. ISO 14001, ISO 26000)

The approach is iterative and flexible, designed to evolve with each organization’s growth and context.

Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals

ISO 17298 supports the achievement of several UN Sustainable Development Goals, including Climate Action, Life on Land, Life Below Water, Responsible Consumption and Production, and others.

Erik Grigoryan