I was inspired by this paper https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/ast.2021.0070 discussing a life detection experiment that could ride along with SpaceX Mars infrastructure, but this also applies to the case discussed in the opening of Isaac Arthur's recent episode "Is Terraforming Planets Ethical".

An alien biosphere would likely have industrially useful biochemistry we've never imagined, that could bring untold billions of wealth to earth. Metals can be found anywhere, but only Mars could have bacteria specifically evolved over billions of years to live in its seasonal brine flows.

However, you can't currently patent a natural biological entity. That means that if SpaceX finds microbes on Mars and publishes the discovery, they won't necessarily get anything out of it, except perhaps a ban on exploiting the planets natural resources. This creates perverse incentives: If the wealth from local minerals can easily be guaranteed but the (potentially much greater) wealth from local biochemistry can't, you avoid searching for life, and cover it up if you happen to find it.

If we want private actors to preserve alien biospheres (and I think that for economic, ethical, and scientific reasons, we should), we should make it profitable for them by making an exception to the usual rule that natural entities cannot be patented.