To discuss ways on how businesses can contribute in mainstreaming biodiversity, the Secretariat of the Convention of Biological Diversity (SCBD) and the government of Mexico gathered more than 250 experts from businesses, governments and non-governmental organizations by hosting the 2016 Business and Biodiversity Forum in Cancun, Mexico, on December 2 and 3.
The forum focused on the concept of mainstreaming biodiversity from the business point of view, investment opportunities and legal frameworks that give more certainty to investments, as well as better decision-making, which factors in the value of biodiversity and the services it provides to businesses. Other important issues relevant for businesses that were addressed included natural capital accounting and financing, examining the links between climate change and biodiversity, and supply-chain policies.
“It is from biodiversity that businesses acquire raw materials for their products. Hence, the business sector must be equipped with knowledge on the values of biodiversity for them to come up with science-based decisions in operating their businesses, and to avoid overexploitation of natural resources,” Executive Director lawyer Roberto V. Oliva of Asean Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) said. Oliva served as the moderator of the first session of the forum.
“When companies place resources sustainability at the core of their brand, they experience long-term revenue and experience positive impact in social and economic space,” International Union for Conservation of Nature Director General Inger Andersen said.
The forum is part of the 13th Meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP13). The conference provides a critical opportunity for countries to address strategic actions to enhance implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and promote the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity targets.
“Achieving the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 is not possible without the active participation of the business community. We need to move from a scattered approach in engaging businesses to a truly inclusive one in order to achieve the broad mainstreaming of biodiversity within and across business sectors,” said Dr. Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, CBD executive secretary. One of the outcomes of the 2016 event is a Business and Biodiversity Pledge. The pledge provides an opportunity for business leaders to acknowledge the importance of biodiversity and ecosystem services for businesses, and to state their commitment toward taking positive action on biodiversity.
Asean reiterates commitment to biodiversity conservation
Member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) reaffirmed their commitment to biodiversity conservation and reduce global biodiversity loss.
This commitment was contained in their joint resolution at the CBD COP13. The CBD COP13 is ongoing in Cancun, Mexico, with the theme “Mainstreaming Biodiversity for Well-being.”
In the joint statement, the Asean member-states (AMS)—Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam—reaffirmed their commitment to implement the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and achieve the Aichi Biodiversity Targets; and to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its sustainable development goals, particularly Goals 14 and 15 on the conservation and sustainable use of coastal and marine resources, and terrestrial ecosystems, respectively.
The AMS remains committed to biodiversity conservation, as the rich shared natural heritage of the region provides important services—such as food, water, climate regulation, soil formation, recreation and education—which contribute to the region’s socioeconomic well-being and benefit around 618 million Asean nationals.
The AMS aimed to attain global biodiversity goals by implementing National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs); enhancing regional cooperation; mainstreaming biodiversity into national and sectoral programs and policies; increasing protection of biodiversity-rich areas;
Addressing climate-change impacts; responding to the threat of invasive alien species; implementing access and benefit sharing measures; promoting cooperation on species conservation, wildlife management, and ecosystem restoration; collaborating on transboundary conservation; and implementing national and regional communication, education and public awareness strategies.
Contributions to global biodiversity conservation will also be realized through commitments to Asean 2025: Forging Ahead Together, particularly to realize the Asean Community Vision 2025 and the implementation of the Asean Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint 2025; and the Declaration on Asean Post-2015 Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Agenda.
Asean 2025 charts the path for Asean Community building and articulates goals and aspirations to realize further consolidation, integration, and stronger cohesiveness of the region.
The AMS also acknowledged the role of the ACB in facilitating cooperation among the Asean Member States, and with other national governments, regional and international organizations to achieve the three objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
ACB, with the support of the AMS, particularly the Royal Thai Government, conducted the Asean Conference on Biodiversity (ACB2016) on February 15 to 19 in Bangkok, Thailand.
ACB2016 provided an opportunity to review assessments toward the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and reiterated the need to accelerate actions, mainstream biodiversity issues, strengthen partnerships and increase financing to address the region’s biodiversity-related challenges.
The Asean Member States then called for greater support from developed Parties to the CBD, other governments and relevant organizations to complement national efforts to implement NBSAPs, particularly to support capacity building and technical and scientific cooperation, to achieve the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.