2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity, and world leaders are poised to meet for the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (COP10) in Nagoya, Japan, October 18-29. 

At first glance, it may not be intuitive as to why your business should care. However, this United Nations declaration and the COP10 talks provide some of the most powerful opportunities for businesses to send the right messages to their clients and consumers that they are firmly committed to the protection of the variety of life on Earth – biodiversity. These are strong messages easily incorporated into your company’s business plan that will not only improve your bottom line, but also the future of our planet. This year. And beyond.

Insuring robust biodiversity is essentially insuring our “Web of Life.” As with most business practices, knock out a step or two and the whole process may not suffer significantly for anyone to notice, but take out a key step and the product or service is doomed and fails. And so it is with the seemingly magical stuff of life. The biological diversity of our planet is what helps sustain us. We rely on this diversity for not just food and wealth, but medicine, fuel and vital services such as oxygen, decomposition and more. In many regions of the world, we know that our systems (both plant and animal) are fragile and some are in peril.

E.O. Wilson, a well-known American biologist and researcher on the area of biodiversity, and other experts say we are facing some of the greatest mass extinctions of animals and plants since the age of dinosaurs, and no one knows which “keystone” species” might be the crucial ones. The mission of Wilson’s Biodiversity Foundation is “to preserve biological diversity in the living environment by inventing and implementing business and educational strategies in the service of conservation.”
 It reinforces that “commerce and conservation can and must be made compatible.” Threats to biodiversity include human over population, habitat destruction, overharvesting, invasive species and pollution. So the best approach in the 21^st century and beyond is to play it safe, go for a green bottom line, and protect as much of our native habitats and wild places to give as many species, including our own, a good chance at survival.

No matter what your industry, develop and promote long-term internal plans for your business that sustain biological diversity from your financials to your production in- and out-puts. As you become more aware and protective of the natural world, you further a movement that is increasingly critical for the health and well roundedness of our children and future leaders. In the long term, having this connection with the Earth and supporting biodiversity efforts will yield big returns for your business and our big blue planet. It’s easy, and it’s just outside your door…

Five Ways Your Business Can Help Promote Biodiversity In Your Community Right Now

 

1. Landscape for Pollinators

Pollinators (bees, butterflies, bats, etc.) play a critical role in our environment but most have been on the decline in recent years. Scientists still do not know the cause of the bee colony collapses they are seeing in record numbers since 2006. According to a 2007 Q&A with Leeanne Alonso, director of Conservation International’s Rapid Assessment Program, “In the U.S. alone, pollination by domesticated honeybees is worth almost $15 billion a year, and by native bees roughly $3 billion a year.” The loss of bees would not only affect business, but our day-to-day lives as well. Insects are responsible for pollinating one out of every three crops we eat. Foods including strawberries, tomatoes, almonds, and, of course, honey to name a few.

To help, conserve the habitat of native bees and pollinators, and learn what plants you can add to your commercial landscaping to aid pollinator survival with these pollinator-friendly planting guides from the Pollinator Partnership. Be sure to also follow these tips for pesticide use from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

2. Know Your Invasive Exotics and Help Eradicate Them

In some parts of the U.S., species like kudzu or the Nile monitor lizard may seem like something from a bad sci-fi movie or Carl Hiaasen novel; however, the damage they can cause to our economy and environment is real. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that one-in-seven non-native species introduced in the United States becomes an invasive exotic plant or animal, which creates more than $138 billion each year in damage and control costs.

Help fight these alien invaders before they cause economic, environmental or human harm by being informed and willing to help. Learn about the invasive exotic plants and animals in your area, and how to help control them by contacting your state and local authorities. Have your workplace participate in local events/efforts to control and eradicate invasive exotics so that natural habitat can be restored and protected.

3. Xeriscape with Natives

“What businesses do with their own landscapes impacts not only biodiversity in urban areas, but also the biodiversity of natural environments outside of the city,” says Mark Hostetler, an Urban Wildlife Ecologist with the University of Florida.  He adds, “Using native, indigenous, plants in landscaping helps provide habitat for wildlife and it decreases the need for fertilizers, pesticides, and water.  This reduces the amounts of pollutants in stormwater runoff, lessening impacts on nearby natural areas.”

Xeriscaping is a form of landscaping that conserves water and reduces the need for fertilizer. It includes the use of plants adapted to a particular region.  By using native plants in your xeriscaping, you can create beautiful planted areas that also provide useful habitat for native animals like birds, lizards and butterflies. Work with a local plant nursery or county extension service/Master Gardener to find a wide variety of native plants that work with the soils in your landscape and that provide habitat for native animal species in your area. Minimize turf grass because it is like concrete to biodiversity.

Using drought tolerant natives also improves your bottom line. Encouraging your employer/grounds keeper to use native plants in landscaping in and around your office building reduces fertilizer and watering costs. Go further and use a rain barrel for needed watering and compost organics on site to use in place of fertilizer to enrich soil.

4. Participate in the Audubon Christmas Bird Count

According to the 2007 Audubon WatchList website, “One quarter of U.S. birds need our help to keep them from slipping toward extinction.” Helping with the Audubon Christmas Bird Count, the longest-running wildlife census, keeps track of birds that are endangered or at risk of being endangered and helps guide actions for conservation.

Further help our feathered friends by working to conserve Important Bird Areas, and by putting up a birdfeeder and a birdhouse in a wild place outside your office.  Go further and become involved with a year-round bird monitoring and/or insect monitoring program.

5. Mix Green Business with Green Pleasure

Getting in that game of golf is a perfect way to reconnect with your clients and the environment and to support biodiversity. Take the Green Golfer™ Pledge, visit Green Certified golf courses and do your part to encourage your local courses to participate in the Audubon International Golf and Environment Initiative.

According to this Audubon initiative, “Surveys have shown that golfers report that playing quality is maintained or even improved as a result of steps taken to manage a course in harmony with the natural environment.”

Further, the U.S. Golf Association knows the game of golf can “green” up and be more sustainable. Golf course benefits for both the business and the environment include fewer resources used for watering, fertilizing, pesticides and mowing, as well as providing natural areas for native plants and animals.

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