ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on what South African companies are reporting on risks associated with extinction and what they are doing to avoid the loss of species. The cultural cost of extinction adds to the biological and ethical implications of losing the natural systems. The act of recording environmental metrics such as the number of species affected by an organisation’s operations, changes in populations and the extinction risk profile can create an organisational awareness of extinction; establish responsibility for preventing extinction and lead to action. Extinction-related reporting usually includes a reference to environmental codes or standards. Extinction accounting is, however, one of the most developments in sustainability accounting and reporting. Weaknesses in the existing extinction accounting practices become opportunities for the academic community to shed light on how to tackle extinction at the corporate level.
