Our planet and societies are facing an unprecedented human-caused twin crisis – the Climate Change Crisis and the Biodiversity Crisis.
Businesses are increasingly seeking solutions to combat climate change while moving towards a Net Zero economy. Mitigating the Biodiversity Crisis is receiving much less attention. Without targeting both crises, achieving Net Zero will be more costly, take longer and has a higher chance of failure.
Over 50% of the global supply chain is reliant upon our natural environment. Yet, the UK is one of the most nature depleted countries (lowest 10%) in the world. This puts our economy at risk. Healthy and resilient ecosystems are needed to guarantee a more stable future where businesses can flourish. The Biodiversity Crisis is not only an ecological issue - it is also a business issue. Biodiversity loss has already cost 10% of global gross productivity, a price that is predicted to grow rapidly, unless we all act now.
Businesses have a key role to play in reversing the decline of nature, reducing their impact on biodiversity. Doing so will deliver multiple benefits to business, including:
- future-proofing commerce, by helping to bring back a diverse, resilient and productive environment (e.g., clean air, clean water, fertile soil, pollinators) on which our economies depend;
- attracting and retaining an increasingly informed and environmentally conscious customer base, by becoming a business acting for biodiversity;
- being part of a growing movement of taking positive action for nature.
If your business would like to include biodiversity goals in its business and public outreach plans but is unsure of how it can best support nature, Edinburgh Napier University’s Centre for Conservation and Restoration Science can provide tailored science-based targets and solutions. The Centre brings together experts from the environmental sciences, computing and engineering, business, psychology and the arts & creative industries, to help deliver the science and solutions needed to combat nature’s decline.
If you would like to find out more, please contact – CCRS@napier.ac.uk