The eighth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-8) put an unprecedented focus on business. This reflects the importance attached by Parties to engage with business and the belief that business can and should be part of the fight against biodiversity loss. The importance of engaging major groups, including business, also comes as a corollary of the shift towards the implementation phase of the Convention. As stated by the newly appointed CBD Executive Secretary, Ahmed Djoghlaf, “business and industry have a crucial role to play in all aspects of sustainable development, including the biodiversity component. Secretariat is committed to working with business and industry to minimize negative impacts on biodiversity, promote good biodiversity practice, facilitate knowledge-sharing and technology transfer, and mainstream biodiversity”(1) . The rationale for such an engagement stems from the influence that business holds in most economies – as recently opined the Financial Times, “business is at the heart of a successful society” (2). It also comes from the realisation that business “possesses biodiversity-relevant knowledge and technical resources, as well as more general management, research and communication skills” (see article p.5). Additionally, there is a clear ‘business case’ for aligning corporate policies and practices with the objectives of the Convention.
Burgeoning opportunities In most sectors and most markets, biodiversity is at the heart of a successful business. In Curitiba, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) stated that “businesses that are able to integrate biodiversity protection with better overall business management are rewarded with improved performance, a better reputation, better access to finance, reduced production and supply chain risks, reduced costs and access to new markets”(3). The IFC’s Guide to Biodiversity for the Private Sector, launched in Curitiba, explains how to manage biodiversity issues to “improve business performance and benefit from biodiversity” (4). More generally, UNEP Executive Director, Achim Steiner, recently observed that “the mainstream Investment community is waking to the burgeoning opportunities associated with sustainability promoting companies, technologies and investment funds. From cleantech, to renewables and ecosystem services, the growth industries of the 21st century are emerging at an accelerated pace”(5). In the mainstream business press, increasing space is devoted to conservation issues, as illustrated by the recent cover story of Fortune on the ‘greening’ efforts of retailer Wal-Mart. Similar examples abound, in numerous sectors and countries (6). While most companies are still unaware of the linkages between biodiversity and their operations, scores of initiatives, in many sectors and markets, are emerging to help integrate biodiversity into corporate decision making. COP-8 also provided an opportunity to profile good practice tools and examine cross sectoral issues, such as biodiversity offsets, landscape level planning, and biodiversity in sustainability reporting (see list of events, p. 10).
Increased participation COP-8 witnessed a significant increase in the number of business participants (see
graph), another clear indication of a growing business interest in biodiversity. Approximately two hundred business individuals from transnational corporations; state-owned enterprises; global, national and local business organizations; international industry associations; as well as small and medium sized companies were in attendance. As such, agribusiness, automobile, biotechnology, cosmetics, financial services, mining, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, and the tourism sector were all represented. Brazilian companies were particularly well represented, some of them also operating booths at the exhibition hall. The Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development , the Brazilian Foundation for Sustainable Development and many other organizations are to be credited for successfully mobilizing the Brazilian business community at this event.
Deciding to engage Decision VIII/17-- the first in the history of the Convention focusing exclusively on business (7) -- emerged after a year long consultation, organised by the governments of Brazil and the UK, the World Conservation Union, the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development, Insight Investment, and the CBD Secretariat. An informal brainstorming session organised in London in January 2005 examined ways to strengthen business engagement in the implementation of the Convention as a means of working towards the 2010 target to achieve a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss. In September 2005, a recommendation was formally tabled at the first meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on the Review of Implementation of the Convention and a second meeting was held in São Paulo in November. This recommendation became Decision VIII/17 in Curitiba. Discussions are now underway regarding follow-up activities. The Decision unambiguously calls for greater business engagement and thereby complements earlier references to business in the Convention Text itself, past Decisions, and in the 2002 Strategic Plan. Noting this shift, the IFC’s Director of the Environment and Social Development Department, Rachel Kyte, observed that “the question was no longer what is the role of the private sector in advancing the goals of the Convention, but how. The debate shifted from philanthropy and fundraising to the business of biodiversity” (8). The Decision, whilst emphasing that “responsibilities for implementation of the Convention rest primarily with Parties”, promotes (1) governments’ engagement with business in the development and implementation of biodiversity strategies and action plans, (2) greater participation of business in CBD meetings, (3) the articulation and dissemination of the ‘business case’ for biodiversity, and (4) the compilation and development of good biodiversity practice (see “call for contribution” on p. 1). As highlighted by Ahmed Djoghlaf, “the Convention will not be implemented by governments alone; the participation of all civil society actors is needed. Private sector participation is vital if we want this Convention to translate into reality” (9). The Secretariat will work with the UNEP Division of Technology, Industry, and Economics (DTIE), and others, to help businesses better participate in CBD meetings, implement Decision VIII/17, and become key players in translating the Convention into reality. This newsletter is, we hope, a first step in this direction.
(1) Ahmed Djoghlaf, 3 February 2006.
“Message to business and industry”.
(2) “Believing in Business”, Financial Times, 7 September 2006.
(3) IFC statement to COP-8 (see full reference p. 10).
(4) International Finance Corporation, March 2006.
A Guide to Biodiversity for the Private Sector. Why Biodiversity Matters and How It Creates Business Value.
(5) Preface, UNEP Finance Initiative, July 2006. Show Me The Money (see full reference p. 11).
(6) “The Green Machine”, Fortune, Vol. 154, No.3, 7 August 2006. Other recent examples in the business press include Amy Bernstein, “Janine Benyus: The Thought Leader Interview” (strategy+business, Autumn 2006); Hervé Juvin, “Le triomphe du corps et l’économie de la rareté” (L’Expansion, July 2006); Achim Steiner, “Environment key to Africa’s prosperity” (Business Day, 30 August 2006).
(7)
Decision VIII/17, Private sector engagement (8) Rachel Kyte, 5 April 2006.
“The Business of Biodiversity”, World Bank Private Sector Development Blog.
(9) Objectif Terre, Volume 8, numéro 2, juillet 2006.
“Entretien avec Ahmed Djoghlaf, nouveau Secrétaire exécutif de la CDB”