At the 2024 World Biodiversity Forum (WBF) in Davos, we partnered with the University of Zurich to host a co-creation event focused on envisioning a positive future for Arctic biodiversity.

Our workshop brought together individuals from 17 organizations representing all regions of the Arctic. We emphasized the inclusion of traditionally underrepresented voices, notably Indigenous Peoples and youth. Following a day of collaborative and interactive working sessions, a more optimistic outlook emerged as our participants aligned on several key actions to safeguard Arctic biodiversity. In this video, Oliver Wyman Partner Cornelia Neumann speaks with industry leaders, government representatives, scientists, and Indigenous Peoples about the importance of biodiversity, environmental changes, and key takeaways from the World Biodiversity Forum.

Gabriela Schaepman-Strub
The World Biodiversity Forum here up in Davos brings together 750 to almost 800 scientists, but also people from the governments and from the industry, to discuss how we can move forward with the biodiversity agenda.

Jakob Assmann
The Arctic is currently undergoing rapid environmental change. Climate change is happening at three to four times the global average, and this has potentially got detrimental impacts on the ecosystems and the species, as well as the livelihoods of the people that depend on them.

Mads Qvist Frederiksen
According to the World Economic Forum, they have this risk forecast index, and if you look ten years ahead, biodiversity is number three on that list. That means it's the third most important thing for companies, because half of the world economy is at risk if we don't take care of our biodiversity.

Karin Nutti Pilflykt
I think it's really important to have this platform for knowledge spreading and have this kind of positive narrative of finding new solutions and positive outcomes for Arctic futures. It's important because it's my home and the region for us indigenous Saami people.

Kai Bischof
I realized that we have to start much more earlier, that we really have to start in kind of creating another mindset in society. And for doing this, we have to, of course, start as soon as possible. That means we have to work in education.

Fiona Danks
There was a diversity of people there with all different backgrounds. And while there were, of course, the spread of ideas, there was a lot of convergence, and I think that's a good sign.

Cornelia Neumann
I was actually amazed at how much the concepts that we discussed today resonated with some of the key questions that we're discussing with our clients. We had lots of different scientists and a very diverse set of stakeholders in the room, and many of the questions around governance, around education, around climate adaptation, resonated with what we're discussing with our clients. And I hadn't fully expected that.

Jakob
I think the workshop was a real success, and that's also something that many of the participants echoed to me, saying that their outlook on Arctic biodiversity future shifted towards the positive. And we even got to discuss some really good potential actions to take.

At the 2024 World Biodiversity Forum (WBF) in Davos, we partnered with the University of Zurich to host a co-creation event focused on envisioning a positive future for Arctic biodiversity.

Our workshop brought together individuals from 17 organizations representing all regions of the Arctic. We emphasized the inclusion of traditionally underrepresented voices, notably Indigenous Peoples and youth. Following a day of collaborative and interactive working sessions, a more optimistic outlook emerged as our participants aligned on several key actions to safeguard Arctic biodiversity. In this video, Oliver Wyman Partner Cornelia Neumann speaks with industry leaders, government representatives, scientists, and Indigenous Peoples about the importance of biodiversity, environmental changes, and key takeaways from the World Biodiversity Forum.

Gabriela Schaepman-Strub
The World Biodiversity Forum here up in Davos brings together 750 to almost 800 scientists, but also people from the governments and from the industry, to discuss how we can move forward with the biodiversity agenda.

Jakob Assmann
The Arctic is currently undergoing rapid environmental change. Climate change is happening at three to four times the global average, and this has potentially got detrimental impacts on the ecosystems and the species, as well as the livelihoods of the people that depend on them.

Mads Qvist Frederiksen
According to the World Economic Forum, they have this risk forecast index, and if you look ten years ahead, biodiversity is number three on that list. That means it's the third most important thing for companies, because half of the world economy is at risk if we don't take care of our biodiversity.

Karin Nutti Pilflykt
I think it's really important to have this platform for knowledge spreading and have this kind of positive narrative of finding new solutions and positive outcomes for Arctic futures. It's important because it's my home and the region for us indigenous Saami people.

Kai Bischof
I realized that we have to start much more earlier, that we really have to start in kind of creating another mindset in society. And for doing this, we have to, of course, start as soon as possible. That means we have to work in education.

Fiona Danks
There was a diversity of people there with all different backgrounds. And while there were, of course, the spread of ideas, there was a lot of convergence, and I think that's a good sign.

Cornelia Neumann
I was actually amazed at how much the concepts that we discussed today resonated with some of the key questions that we're discussing with our clients. We had lots of different scientists and a very diverse set of stakeholders in the room, and many of the questions around governance, around education, around climate adaptation, resonated with what we're discussing with our clients. And I hadn't fully expected that.

Jakob
I think the workshop was a real success, and that's also something that many of the participants echoed to me, saying that their outlook on Arctic biodiversity future shifted towards the positive. And we even got to discuss some really good potential actions to take.