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http://www.justmeans.com
Biodiversity Protection
According to new research by the National Science Foundation, the loss of biodiversity will cause a sharp spike in diseases. The sixth great extinction is on its way and about 50% of the Earth's plant and animal species will be wiped out by the end of the century. This means that its human inhabitants will not only live in a world that is biodiversity-poor but they will also be living in a world that is considerably warmer and with more diseases. The loss of biodiversity is linked to human activity and a large chunk of this is industrial activity. It is not longer just an option for companies to start taking note of the alarming rate of loss, it is time now for them to start doing something about it. The link between industrial operations and biodiversity loss may not be immediately apparent but it is rather obvious. Biodiversity can no longer be an 'externality' in the economic system. The recently released TEEB report states the economic benefits to be gained by investing in biodiversity protection. This is something that companies should consider and incorporate into their CSR. Biodiversity protection is not just the jurisdiction of governments, conservation bodies and NGOs. Investing in biodiversity protection makes strategic sense for companies in the long term. Several companies are leading the way but more companies need to start incorporating consideration for biodiversity into their operation. Marks & Spencers is leading the way with its CSR in ensuring that it only provides sustainably caught fish and other sea food in its stores. By doing this, M&S is not only ensuring that the final product is more ethical, it is also spreading the awareness of its sourcing needs down the supply chain thereby changing the supplier's attitude as well. This is the most simple example. Danone has identified that one of its major impacts comes from agricultural activities. There are now investing in mangrove conservation. Danone Water is working with the Water Conservation Union and is focused on restoring these important areas. They have started to educate the locals and have involved them in conservation and also replanting shoots. Most recently the firm has planted 30m mangrove plants, covering 6,500 hectares in Senegal. Many CSR initiatives with a biodiversity focus can be fit into any company with a supply chain. However, starting biodiversity protection campaigns with no clear focus on strategic CSR or explanation of what the business is doing to ensure biodiversity preservation is counter-productive. Preservation of biodiversity is not just for the big guys. A small company that I have worked with kept a full garden with flowers and a bird bath to ensure that butterflies, bees and birds thrived on their property. This may not be much but when you consider that bees everywhere are facing colony collapse, a little bit here and there all adds up. Companies should be focusing more on biodiversity protection not just because it will tie into their existing CSR initiatives, but it is time that the private sector understands that biodiversity preservation is the responsibility of businesses as well.
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