Radolfzell, 04 July 2022: Up and down the country, industrial estates always present the same picture: a lot of gray, a lot of sealed surface, little life. The Global Nature Fund (GNF) and its partners show in the current project LIFE BooGi-BOP ("Boosting Green Infrastructure through Biodiversity-Oriented Design of Business Premises") that this can and must be done differently. Since 2019, the EU-funded project has successfully supported companies in making their company premises greener and thus more biodiversity-friendly. Parking lots are unsealed, roofs are greened, wetlands are created. GNF project leader Dr. Thomas Schaefer explains why this is so important: "Species extinction is the biggest environmental problem of our time, more than climate change. Biodiversity on company premises means natural climate and species protection. More and more companies understand this and are not only giving their company grounds a modern makeover, but also contributing to climate protection and climate adaptation."
Simple measures with a big impactAccording to the United Nations World Biodiversity Council (IPBES) report, around one million species are acutely threatened with extinction, and three-quarters of the insect biomass has been lost in Germany alone over the past 27 years. One of the main causes of this is the destruction of natural habitats. "We must act now to stop the mass extinction of species. In addition to protecting large ecosystems, every smaller measure is valuable. A company pond or a flowering area in the parking lot can become an important habitat and thus make a contribution," says Dr. Schaefer. But it's not just nature that benefits from greener company grounds; employee satisfaction has also been shown to increase. In a study published in 2021, scientists from the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Center concluded that an increase in biodiversity in the environment makes people just as happy as a pay rise.
Business and policy exchange at the "European Green Premises 2022" conferenceFrom September 14-15, 2022, the "European Green Premises 2022" will take place in Wiesbaden, Germany (and online). The two-day conference presents best-practice approaches and success stories and offers representatives of local and federal politics, science and business a forum for exchange. Participation is free of charge, registration is requested:
https://www.biodiversity-premises.eu/en/EuropeanGreenPremises.html
Learn more about the project LIFE BooGi-BOP Contact Global Nature Fund (GNF) - Office Radolfzell
Dr. Thomas Schaefer
Head of Nature Conservation & Living Lakes
Phone: +49 7732 9995 89
E-Mail:
schaefer@globalnature.org