Biodiversity Takes a Back Seat

Many companies around the world find that nature loss is a challenge to growing their business.  Nature loss is described as the disappearance of diverse natural resources such as plants and animal species.  According to a survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers, more than half of CEO’s see biodiversity as a concerning issue for their company.  In 2002 a target was set to control global biodiversity loss by 2010, which is far from accomplished today.  This target would have decreased the rate of habitat loss and degradation, controlled the spread of invasive species, and protected animals from extinction due to foreign trade.  Some global regions have made some progress, but overall there has been failure to meet the goals set back in 2002, making a number of species subject to extinction. 

Biodiversity safety is a major concern among consumers.  Half of European and U.S. consumers report that they would stop buying products from companies that do not value biodiversity protection.  Integrating biodiversity into a company’s value chain can greatly improve its reputation as well as improve cost savings and induce new revenues.  A few standout companies have made strides to improve nature loss and incorporate biodiversity safety into their business plan.  Rio Tinto, a multinational mining company, developed a program called “Net Positive Impact” in 2004, which has helped the company to connect with environment organizations and has allowed the company to protect areas from mining damage.  Another company, Syngenta, has started Operation Pollinator to help improve habitats for bees, resulting in potential for the U.S. and Europe’s continuous bee population decline.

A recent survey shows that countries with high biodiversity are much more conscious of nature loss.  When talking about business leaders, CEO’s in Latin America show the most concern for biodiversity effects on their business.  It is still unclear to as why global businesses have failed to live up to biodiversity goals, but some improvements have been made in order to protect the world’s precious resources.