Purpose - This paper seeks to problematise "accounting for biodiversity"
and to provide a framework for analysing and understanding the role of
accounting in preserving and enhancing biodiversity on Planet Earth. The
paper aims to raise awareness of the urgent need to address
biodiversity loss and extinction and the need for corporations to
discharge accountability for their part in the current biodiversity
crisis by accounting for their biodiversity-related strategies and
policies. Such accounting is, it is believed, emancipatory and leads to
engendering change in corporate behaviour and attitudes.
Design/methodology/approach - The authors reviewed the literature
relating to biodiversity across a wide array of disciplines including
anthropology, biodiversity, ecology, finance, philosophy, and of course,
accounting, in order to build an image of the current state of
biodiversity and the role which accounting can and "should" play in the
future of biodiversity. Findings - It is found that the problems
underlying accounting for biodiversity fall into four broad categories:
philosophical and scientific problems, accountability problems,
technical accounting problems, and problems of accounting practice.
Practical implications - Through establishing a framework problematising
biodiversity, a roadmap is laid out for researchers and practitioners
to navigate a route for future research and policymaking in biodiversity
accounting. It is concluded that an interdisciplinary approach to
accounting for biodiversity is crucial to ensuring effective action on
biodiversity and for accounting for biodiversity to achieve its
emancipatory potential. Originality/value - Although there is a wealth
of sustainability reporting research, there is hardly any work exploring
the role of accounting in preserving and enhancing biodiversity. There
is no research exploring the current state of accounting for
biodiversity. This paper summarises the current state of biodiversity
using an interdisciplinary approach and introduces a series of papers
devoted to the role of accounting in biodiversity accepted for this AAAJ
special issue. The paper also provides a framework identifying the
diverse problems associated with accounting for biodiversity.