Why is this relevant?

All businesses, irrespective size, sector and location, ultimately depend on biodiversity. Whilst businesses can have a major direct and indirect impact on biodiversity, they also possess biodiversity relevant knowledge, technical resources and managerial skills. In turn, how companies manage biodiversity is, increasingly, seen as relevant to their bottom line performance.

Business under the Convention

Business is explicitly referred to in the Convention text (i.e. in articles 10 and 16), in many COP decisions adopted over the years, and in the Convention’s Strategic Plan. Many of the Convention's Programmes of Work are directly relevant to business.

At its eighth meeting (Curitiba, Brazil, 20-31 March 2006), the Conference of the Parties reiterated the importance of engaging the business community in the implementation of the Convention. Decision VIII/17, the first to focus exclusively on business, covers the engagement of Parties with the business community when developing and implementing national biodiversity strategies and action plans; the participation of business in Convention processes; the compilation, dissemination and strengthening of the ‘business case’ for biodiversity; and the compilation and development of good biodiversity practice.

A growing agenda

Since COP-8, the business and biodiversity agenda has been receiving an increasing amount of attention. It has been included, for instance, in the Potsdam initiative (March 2007), the Biodiversity Communication of the European Commission (May 2006) and the Biodiversity Agenda of the EU Presidencies of Germany, Portugal and Slovenia (November 2007).

The Lisbon Declaration was also adopted in November 2007, as an outcome of the High Level Conference on Business and Biodiversity, organised by the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union (EU) Council. In preparation to COP-9, Germany also hosted, in April 2008, a conference on business and biodiversity.

G8 Environment Ministers adopted, in May 2008, the Kobe Call for Action for Biodiversity to call upon all countries to work together to promote, in the area of private sector engagement, the following actions: Strengthen global initiatives and fora promoting dialogue, cooperation and joint activities among various stakeholders including the business sector, NGOs and researchers, such as the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the Global Biodiversity Forum; Work to mainstream the concept of biodiversity in society through, where appropriate, developing partnership with the private sector and extending exchanges of information about successful experiences and practice; Encourage corporate social responsibility, with a view to making the private sector a full partner in biodiversity conservation, and promote enabling environments for private investment in sustainable management of biodiversity.

Pursuant to Decision VIII/17, the Secretariat has, in particular, compiled information on the 'business case' for biodiversity as well as good practice guidance in a range of sectors. Since October 2006, the Secretariat has also published a newsletter on business and biodiversity to accompany the implementation of decision VIII/17.

For a more detailed overview of business and biodiversity since COP-8, see document UNEP/CBD/COP/9/21/Add.1.

Business at COP-9

At COP-9, business engagement was discussed as part of agenda item 4.13 (Cooperation with Other Conventions, International Organizations and Initiatives and Engagement of Stakeholders). Document UNEP/CBD/COP/9/21/Add.1 prepared for the circumstance provides, in particular, (1) an overview of the ‘business and biodiversity’ agenda since March 2006; (2) an overview of efforts by Parties and organizations in implementing decision VIII/17; and (3) reports on the business related activities undertaken by the Executive Secretary over 2006-2008.

Decision IX/26, adopted at COP-9, on promoting business engagement provides a framework for priority actions, which focuses on the continued development and promotion of the business case for biodiversity and the dissemination of best practice. A particular focus of the decision is on addressing the needs of small and medium sized companies and developing countries. (Click here for the full list of COP-9 decisions).

In addition to this specific decision, business engagement is relevant to many other decisions adopted at COP-9. Issues include, for instance, payments for ecosystem services (notably in the context of forest biodiversity, incentive measures (Article 11), resource mobilization); biodiversity offsets (notably in the context of protected areas, resource mobilization); biofuels (i.e. decision IX/2); certification schemes (e.g. alien species, forest biodiversity); public and private procurement policies (forest biodiversity); the compilation of good practice (notably with respect to alien invasive species), the mobilization of the financial services sector (e.g. resource mobilization). At COP-9, Parties also agreed on a firm process toward the establishment of international rules on access to genetic resources and the equitable sharing of benefits from their use (i.e. the third objective of the Convention). The COP produced a plan for the negotiations that sets out a clear roadmap leading up to 2010 and provides a shortlist of options as to what elements should be legally binding and which are not (see decision IX/12).

Many initiatives, projects and publications were showcased in Bonn -- including the German Business and Biodiversity Initiative. Click here for more information on COP-9.

The next issue of the Secretariat's business newsletter will focus on business implications of COP-9.