On May 22, the UN celebrates the International Day for Biological Diversity
The Food for Biodiversity association helps companies in the food sector to promote biodiversity
The first pilot projects are already successfully implementing the “basic set of biodiversity criteria”
Radolfzell, 19.05.2022: This figure is fatal and frightening, and not just on International Biodiversity Day, which is coming up next Sunday: according to the 2019 report by the World Biodiversity Council, around one million species are threatened with extinction worldwide. According to a study by NABU and the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the value of the loss of ecosystem services is estimated at over six trillion dollars per year. This exceeds the gross domestic product of all countries except the USA and China. The trend is also negative in Germany. Alongside climate change, the loss of biodiversity is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century – a challenge that the Food for Biodiversity association, coordinated by the Global Nature Fund (GNF), is determined to tackle. Its goal: the concrete implementation of measures that measurably improve the protection of biodiversity.
A broad alliance for biodiversity
The current 25 companies, associations and standard organizations as well as environmental organizations and a research institute have agreed on a work plan to help stop the loss of species and habitats. All companies organized in the association undertake to support measures that promote biodiversity. Above all, this includes compliance with criteria for the protection of biodiversity in the production of agricultural raw materials in all supply chains. The creation of incentives for agriculture, the fair assumption of costs for protective measures and the training of farmers and food company managers are also part of the work plan. All members benefit from the expertise and lively exchange, as the industry must tackle this major challenge together.
Promising use of the basic set for biodiversity
A key component of Food for Biodiversity’s work is the basic set of biodiversity criteria: This is not a new standard, but an offer to other food standards and companies drawn up by representatives of food companies, standards, agriculture, scientific institutions and environmental organizations within the framework of the association: They should compare their specifications with the basic set and – if necessary – revise them in order to integrate further important criteria and measures for the protection of biodiversity. The implementation of the basic set creates the basis, for example, for the creation and maintenance of near-natural habitats such as biotope corridors and riparian strips. Some of the project partners are already successfully implementing the basic set of biodiversity criteria in pilot projects:
- Kaufland finances beneficial insect strips with specially designed seeds on around 26 hectares of potato fields. The measure has recently been accompanied by monthly monitoring of target species such as wild bees and hoverflies to determine its effectiveness.
- Food for Biodiversity member Zentis sources peaches and apricots from larger farms with a total of around 270 hectares of cultivated land in the Murcia region in southern Spain. Together with experts from the partner organization Fundación Global Nature, farm inspections have already taken place to evaluate the potential for implementing biodiversity-promoting measures.
- In the Lake Constance region, around 150 fruit farms are committed to promoting biodiversity and wild bees in particular every year. With the expert support of the Lake Constance Foundation and the fruit-growing advisory service, as well as financial support from the REWE Group, annual and perennial flowering areas are being created, nesting aids and habitats for wild bees are being provided and numerous other nature conservation measures are being implemented.
Food for Biodiversity & Enterprise Biodiversity – UBi
GNF is developing the basic set with its partners as part of the project Unternehmen Biologische Vielfalt – UBi, which is funded by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation through the Federal Program for Biological Diversity with funds from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection. The Enterprise Biodiversity project aims to raise awareness of the issue of biodiversity among business and industry associations and thus motivate companies to give the issue high priority. One focus is on the dialog between business, politics and nature conservation. The protection of biodiversity should become an integral part of operational management. In this way, negative impacts of business activities on biodiversity can be reduced and positive ones strengthened. The measures, initiatives and specific tools developed for this purpose are intended to take the necessary change to protect biodiversity a big step forward.
Contact us
Global Nature Fund (GNF)
International Foundation for Environment and Nature
Ralph Dejas
Project manager and coordinator “Food for Biodiversity”
Kaiser-Friedrich-Str. 11
53113 Bonn
+49 179 998 06 12
dejas@globalnature.org
www.globalnature.org