The call for companies to join the Business Commitment to Biodiversity was made during the Dialogue on Biodiversity Targets, held at the CEBDS 2019 Seminar
O Brazilian Business Commitment to Biodiversity carried out by CEBDS will be launched on October 29th, in Rio de Janeiro. The publication is a contribution from the private sector that will be taken to the Biodiversity COP in China. Anglo American, Bayer, Boticário, BRK, Eletrobras, Equinor, Furnas, Natura, Philip Morris Brasil, Shell, Suzano and Votorantim Cimentos have signed the commitment.
All companies, whether or not they are members of CEBDS, can commit to the Commitment. With the document, which has nine goals, companies commit to objectives such as making information on biological diversity in the areas where the company operates publicly available, with the aim of collaborating with the management of biodiversity in the region and providing transparency to this information to society, or enhancing conservation and recovery actions in the regions where the company operates, seeking a net positive impact on biodiversity.
Globally, a coalition of which the WBCSD is a part, the Business for Nature calls for action to reverse nature loss and restore the planet’s vital natural systems. The coalition seeks to bring a united business voice to international negotiations and help deliver the needed outcome.
Brazil is home to the greatest biodiversity on the planet, with more than 20% of the total number of species. Due to its position, Brazil has a special contribution to make in meeting national and international biodiversity protection goals. In addition, the country is also home to a rich sociobiodiversity, represented by more than 200 indigenous peoples and by various communities – such as quilombolas, caiçaras and rubber tappers, to name a few – who bring together an invaluable collection of traditional knowledge about biodiversity conservation.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), also known as the UNFCCC, establishes that member countries must promote the sustainable management and conservation of forests and other terrestrial ecosystems to achieve climate balance, recognizing the link between climate balance and biodiversity conservation.
The UNFCCC highlights the importance of avoiding dangerous changes in the climate system to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to changes, since the problem of protecting biodiversity is aggravated by climate change.
At the Biodiversity COP in China, world leaders will have the opportunity to forge an international agreement to reverse nature loss similar to the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.
It is necessary to establish metrics for biodiversity
A relevant issue is the need to establish metrics for biodiversity. Is it possible for a company to claim, with some methodological support, that it has a net positive impact? How can we work to create greater consensus around biodiversity metrics?
These and other issues permeate the discussions and planning to achieve the proposed objectives. The Aligning Biodiversity Measures for Business initiative, which will be presented at the launch event of the Commitment, aims to form a common vision among key stakeholders on measuring, monitoring and disclosing corporate impacts on biodiversity and dependencies. This will encourage the development of more credible indicators of corporate contribution to global biodiversity targets in corporate reporting and global policy frameworks.
Most businesses depend on biodiversity, either directly or through their supply chains. Biodiversity provides critical resources upon which processes depend. By negatively impacting biodiversity, businesses risk losing these resources. Financial institutions that invest in businesses may also be exposed to risks if impacts on biodiversity are not minimized.
