In the sixth webinar of the CEBDS ReVisão 2050 series, experts argue that Brazil can assume a prominent position in the new economy if it combines biodiversity with technology
Rio de Janeiro, July 8, 2020 – Experts and business representatives warn that the standing forest has a high economic potential that has not yet been fully explored, and that combining this enormous asset with technology, adding value, is what can put Brazil in a prominent position in the new economy. Biodiversity is now considered an extremely strategic asset, including from a financial point of view, for the sustainability of businesses, since the country holds 20% of global biodiversity, the largest on the planet.
This was the main message of the sixth webinar from the ReVision 2050 debate series, of the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS), which aims to plan and build a vision for the future. Broadcast live on the CEBDS YouTube channel, the meeting raised discussion about Biodiversity and Forests.
The theme is not limited to the importance of environmental preservation, mitigation and compensation to contain climate change, but also an economic issue. “We need to understand the value of biodiversity and ecosystem services also for the generation of jobs and income and for the reduction of social and economic inequalities,” said Marina Grossi, president of CEBDS, at the opening of the event.
For Carlos Nobre, a professor at the Institute of Advanced Studies at USP, Brazil has everything it needs to become an environmental powerhouse in terms of biodiversity. “And companies need to lead this process by investing in research and development of this enormous wealth that we have in our biodiversity. This investment can translate into new products, jobs and income, and reduced inequalities,” said the researcher.
According to him, there are also opportunities to transform the agribusiness model in response to global food security challenges. “We can really be the mainstay for world food security by using less land for agriculture. All we need to do is practice regenerative agriculture, which involves restoring ecosystems,” suggested the professor, adding that the services offered by natural systems have an impact on food, energy and water security; on the productivity of the agricultural chain and serve as a store and sink for carbon.
A report by the Brazilian Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services on landscape restoration indicates that one hectare of standing forest in the Amazon, for example, generates an average of R$ 3.5 thousand per year and in the Cerrado around R$ 2.3 thousand per year. In agroforestry systems, this yield can reach more than R$ 12 thousand per year. The same hectare deforested for livestock farming would yield a profit of R$ 60 to R$ 100 per year. If used for soybeans, the value would be R$ 500 to R$ 1 thousand per year.
In this sense, as stressed by the president of the Juruá Institute, João Campos Silva, the window of business opportunity also brings with it an enormous social responsibility. “I believe that if companies combine scientific knowledge with traditional knowledge, they will be successful with a new concept of doing business,” observed Campos, also pointing out the logistical bottlenecks in the Amazon as an important issue. “Everything you do in the Amazon is difficult. The structures are rudimentary. We need to think about reality creatively. This development will not happen without massive investment in waterway infrastructure, for example,” he added.
Moderator of the debate, ERM consultant Viviane Severiano, said that she sees Brazil as a reference in biodiversity by 2050. “But to achieve this, coordinated action is needed,” she said. The goal of eliminating illegal deforestation by 2030, for example, assumed by Brazil in its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, will only be achieved if it has the support of the private sector.”
On the corporate side, there is an evolving understanding that collaboration and partnership are crucial for business. “The 2050 vision is for more collaboration. And not just out of conviction, but as a matter of business strategy,” said Yugo Matsuda, Suzano’s sustainability manager. “No productive sector can survive without water. Therefore, biodiversity is a key element for long-term business management,” added Patrícia Daros, Vale’s Biodiversity and Environmental Recovery Manager, Vale Fund Operations Director and CEO of the Vale Environmental Institute.
In the view of Suzano's sustainability manager, reorienting business in this direction necessarily involves strategies based on goals. “Policies can be geared towards avoiding environmental and social impacts. Companies currently invest heavily in reducing and recovering their impacts. However, the trend is for this process to evolve to also generate value,” he commented. In this context, Patrícia highlighted projects to recover degraded areas in a differentiated dynamic, which combines responsible financial returns with social and environmental benefits.
On the other hand, if poorly managed, biodiversity creates conditions for the emergence of new viruses and diseases, such as Covid-19, with profound economic and health impacts in both rich and poor countries. “Climate change is an inexhaustible source of pandemics,” concluded Professor Carlos Nobre. The ReVisão 2050 project is sponsored by Vale and Itaú, and has the support of ERM, KPMG, SESC and Sitawi.
Upcoming agendas
With the coronavirus crisis, CEBDS is holding discussions among its member companies and multisector experts on the resumption of business and long-term planning, revisiting the commitments defined in the document Visão Brasil 2050, launched at Rio+20 in 2012. Webinars are also planned to discuss Circular Economy and Cities, with the aim of thinking about the post-coronavirus future.
The webinars feature the participation of representatives from the third sector and are held every two weeks on Wednesdays, from 8 am to 9:30 am, free of charge and open to the general public.
FULL PROGRAM:
| DATE | THEME |
| 22/July | Circular Economy |
| 05/August | Cities |
ABOUT CEBDS
The Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) is a non-profit civil association that promotes sustainable development through coordination with governments and civil society, in addition to disseminating the most current concepts and practices on the topic. Founded in 1997, it brings together around 60 of the largest business groups in the country, responsible for more than 1 million direct jobs. Represents the network of World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), which has almost 60 national and regional councils in 36 countries and 22 industrial sectors, in addition to 200 business groups operating on all continents. More information: https://cebds.org/
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