O Biodiversity and Business Forum is the most important Forum for the private sector within the scope of COP (Conference of the Parties) on Biodiversity and had its first edition in 2011. And for the Business sector, the edition of this event, between the last 2nd and 3rd of December, was one of the most important events of the year 2016 in the scope of conservation.
Although "Biodiversity" has long been a term little understood by the private sector, it has become one of the most relevant topics in the long-term strategy of corporate businesses. This includes not only biodiversity, but also "Ecosystem Services," as understanding of both has been expanding and strengthening thanks to international meetings like this one.
During the Forum held last weekend, it was clear that there is still room for progress. Some still deliver speeches with a general focus on sustainability and have difficulty presenting concrete results in biodiversity conservation and its relationship with their businesses. Even so, the private sector's progress in recognizing its dependence on ecosystem services and biodiversity is clear. Not only executives responsible for corporate sustainability, but also CEOs and directors, including those from areas such as Procurement, attended the Forum and were able to interact and share progress and challenges in the different areas, scenarios, and contexts of the relationship between companies and Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.
The presence of representatives of international NGOs with a strong relationship with programs aimed at companies and biodiversity, such as CI (Conservation International) It is IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), was already striking in the Forum's first plenary session. For Peter Seligmann, CEO of CI, one of the biggest challenges for conservation continues to be communication. In other words, we need to develop more efficient content and communication tools that not only raise awareness but also truly transform behavior, including in the private sector. This is perhaps the challenge of the century: transforming behavior. In any case, it seems that many companies are already on this path.
Mexico's Secretary of Economy, Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal, believes that innovative ideas in the production process that reconcile biodiversity conservation need to be created and, above all, disseminated, and that "private sector biodiversity champions" should be identified and recognized. Ideally, recognition and incentives for companies that demonstrably have biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services in their strategy are key to faster private sector engagement.
On the other hand, many companies have made significant progress in their strategies, from projects focused on species-level conservation to projects that restore entire ecosystems. It's important to emphasize that companies have made progress in supporting projects not out of philanthropy, but because they are truly recognizing the need to protect species and ecosystem services for the long-term maintenance of their operations. Some companies, such as Mondi, have surprised by presenting concrete restoration projects focused on landscape conservation. Grupo Boticário and Natura, Brazilian 100% companies, have presented low-impact solutions for biodiversity in the production chain.
Brazil had a relevant participation and the CNI (National Confederation of Industry), represented by Elisa Romano, presented the IBNB (Brazilian Business and Biodiversity Initiative), which showed numerous examples of partnerships between companies and civil society in Brazil and which have become a global example of success, such as the partnership between Votorantim and Conservation International (CI) in the preparation of a Strategic Management Plan for the Legado das Águas – Votorantim Reserve.
Another topic of high relevance to many companies was “access to biodiversity”, which in the case of Brazil has a Law1 and is awaiting ratification of the Nagoya Protocol2Numerous companies are seeking solutions to prepare for a scenario of global definition of how to access biodiversity and share benefits, as countries are defining the mechanisms of the Nagoya Protocol at this COP.
Perhaps one of the most practical ways to understand the need for conservation of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services is its direct relationship with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Pavan Sukhdev, Director of GIST and creator of TEEB3, presented a very interesting correlation between the SDGs: of the 17 goals, the foundation would be the maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystem services. The model presented by Pavan was dubbed the "wedding cake," where the SDGs are organized in a pattern resembling a layered cake, requiring a supporting base. In this case, the foundation would be provided by the maintenance of ecosystem services.
Indeed, if society doesn't develop efficient ways to conserve biodiversity and ecosystem services, not only will businesses be threatened. This isn't just an issue to be addressed with a focus on future generations; it's also important to think about the present. As executives, it's crucial to seek innovative solutions so that competition for resources doesn't derail businesses and operations.
Biodiversity is also business.
1 Law 13.123/2015 came into effect at the end of November 2015. Companies that use natural raw materials—originating from natural resources—must allocate 0.75% of their revenue to projects that benefit the environment and the communities where they operate. Alternatively, the government also requires companies to transfer 1% of their revenue to a national fund that is being established.
2 Nagoya Protocol: Document defining international mechanisms for access to genetic resources and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their utilization.
3 TEEB: The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity
