Open Access

Laura Enzberger

• Biodiversity loss is becoming increasingly relevant for companies because it can create environmental risks and affect long-term business viability. At the same time, new sustainability reporting requirements in the EU, especially ESRS E4 under the CSRD, are expected to influence how companies address biodiversity. This master’s thesis examines how companies deal with biodiversity in this regulatory context, focusing on (1) corporate perception, (2) opportunities and drivers for action, and (3) barriers that hinder implementation. The study uses a qualitative research design based on 11 semi-structured expert interviews from agriculture (n=4) and industry (n=7). The interview material was analyzed using inductive qualitative content analysis following Mayring. By combining cross-sector expert interviews with a structured qualitative content analysis, this study provides practice-relevant insight into how biodiversity is translated into corporate priorities, governance routines, and reporting readiness under ESRS E4. The findings show a heterogeneous picture: while some interviewees frame biodiversity as a strategic topic linked to long-term continuity and resilience, others treat it mainly as part of broader environmental themes or as a reporting-related category. Regulatory expectations can function as an internal lever for prioritization, while concrete site-based measures and external cooperation support implementation. However, major barriers remain, especially limited measurability, missing baselines, unclear indicators, regulatory uncertainty, and resource constraints. An exploratory Fisher’s exact test is reported as a descriptive verification of frequency differences; results are interpreted as hypothesis-generating due to small sample sizes. Overall, the findings indicate a heterogeneous corporate understanding of biodiversity that ranges from a strategic principle embedded in risk management and value creation to a narrowly framed reporting category, with substantial variation in perceived drivers and organizational traction.