Business, Ecosystems, and Biodiversity

Abstract

Whether to secure critical resource inputs or responding to demands ranging from local communities to international stakeholders, leading multinational companies increasingly engage in ecosystem management by developing operations models with biodiversity, ecosystem conservation, and ecosystem restoration in mind—often in partnership with international conservation organizations. While promising to infuse business strategy with knowledge from natural science, specifically ecology, the emerging practice appears well ahead of research in this area. This article aims to encourage research into how organizations can manage their relationship with the natural environment so as not to destroy the very life-supporting foundations provided by nature. Bridging knowledge domains, the article introduces key concepts from ecology and social ecology to organization and management studies— ecosystems, biodiversity, ecosystem services, and ecological resilience. We illustrate these concepts with advances in ecosystems management and conclude with suggestions for future research in sustainability management, organization theory, and strategic management.