The association is open to new members: standard organizations, producer groups and companies that produce, process, trade and certify food, as well as organizations with an interest in promoting the protection of biodiversity in the food sector, are welcome to join the association.
The food sector, with agriculture as the most important actor, is named in the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 as one of the three economic sectors that are most dependent on biodiversity and contribute significantly to the loss of biodiversity through intensive land management. The association "Food for Biodiversity" and its members want to make a relevant contribution to achieving the goals of the German and European Biodiversity Strategies, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The preparations for the founding of the association took place, among other things, within the framework of the "LIFE Food & Biodiversity" project, which was funded by the EU LIFE programme and the German Federal Foundation for the Environment.
A diverse alliance took the International Day for the Protection of Species as an opportunity to send a signal against the trend by founding an association and to take joint action to protect biodiversity in the food industry. The association wants to pave the way for sustainable and future-proof food systems. The protection of biodiversity is to become a central concern of the food industry and its upstream value chains. The members of "Food for Biodiversity" contribute to the achievement of the association's goals by
- integrating the protection and promotion of biodiversity into their strategies, policies and projects.
- implementing criteria for the protection and promotion of biodiversity along the supply chain in purchasing and standard specifications. Farmers should be supported in implementing the criteria and corresponding measures.
- implement monitoring of the development of biodiversity on farms. Based on the results, measures to promote biodiversity will be further developed.
- conducting further training on biodiversity for employees, farmers, agricultural advisors and auditors, raise awareness among consumers in Germany of the value of biodiversity for food production, and promote the supply and demand of corresponding products.
- last but not least, the members will also campaign for better political framework conditions to strengthen the protection of biodiversity.
Background
According to the World Biodiversity Council's 2019 report, around one million species are threatened with extinction. The trend in Germany also continues to be negative, as in almost all countries worldwide. Alongside climate change, the loss of biodiversity is one of the greatest challenges of our time - a challenge that can be mastered most effectively together.
"Biodiversity is vital - nature provides us with food, medicines or building materials; it offers us recreation and is thus also important for our well-being and health. An intact ecosystem provides clean air and water and is an ally in the fight against climate change. The transformation of waste into new resources, pollination, fertilisation of crops - all this and much more would simply be unthinkable without an intact ecosystem," underlines the European Commission in the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030.