Introduction

The planet is currently experiencing a mass extinction event, with human and business activity being the root cause of species loss and habitat destruction. Ecosystem services and their valuation allow us to understand how critical these natural gifts are to our survival. Any material financial risk requires risk management tools, disclosure, audit, accountability and monitoring. Any part of the financial system that does not incorporate biodiversity, natural habitat, species protection and extinction prevention into the heart of its risk management, mitigation and adaptation strategy is failing to acknowledge the massive potential financial losses that could arise were certain species to go extinct. An exotic fruit, the durian, provides a salient example of potential loss of value arising from species loss as well as of the critical balance of interrelationships that necessitate the healthy functioning of ecosystems and the provision of ecosystem services.