EMAS and Biodiversity

Benefits of Biodiversity

Biodiversity describes the variety of life on our planet, starting from the diversity of genes to species to all the different ecosystems existing. For life on Earth to thrive, its diversity is essential and especially for us humans it is important to secure our livelihood. We depend on intact ecosystems for clean air, potable water, fertile soil, climate regulation, medical agents, wood, fiber, and other resources, the list goes on. Yet, according to the 2019 Global Assessment Report by the World Biodiversity Council (IPBES), human activities in recent centuries have caused species extinction to occur at a significantly accelerated rate, ranging from 10 to 100 times higher than the average rate observed over the past 10 million years. We are currently experiencing the sixth mass extinction in the 4.6 billion years-long life of the Earth.

In December 2022, a new global agreement on the protection of biodiversity the Kumming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework was signed by 196 nations. One key aim is to officially protect at least 30 percent of the world’s land and marine by 2030. In the EU the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 sets the pathway for protecting nature and reversing the degradation of ecosystems. However, to reach the bold goals of both strategies, transformation in a short time is needed. Therefore, it is crucial that companies and organisations take on their responsibility and opt for change by considering biodiversity as an important factor along their entire supply chain.

About 44 trillion dollars of global value added is moderately or heavily dependent on nature and ecosystem services (IPBES, 2019). In the end, every industry relies on nature and its resources, either directly or indirectly. From the pharmaceutical industry, to the paper industry, to electronics and mining most raw materials are sourced from nature and the tourism sector thrives on the cultural value of aesthetic landscapes. To ensure lasting business stability, it is in the best interest of companies and organisations to actively support the preservation and health of ecosystems.

EMAS as a Tool for Biodiversity Management

For EMAS-registered organisations, biodiversity has always been part of their corporate strategy. It is one of the key areas of the environmental management scheme and a compulsory key indicator companies will have to report on in their environmental statement. Organisations need to take biodiversity into account when evaluating their overall environmental performance that includes the significant direct and indirect impacts. Additionally, the annual environmental statement must report on the land use in relation to biodiversity, e.g. reporting on the total land consumption, the total sealed area, and the total semi-natural area at site. This makes EMAS a great tool for every company and organisation that wants to take up the fight gainst the loss of species and ecosystems.

This spring the Lake Constance Foundation and the Global Nature Fund published an updated version of the guide “EMAS and Biodiversity: How to address biodiversity protection through environmental management systems” with the support of the European Commission, DG Environment. The guide addresses all companies that want to progress in the field of biodiversity. They learn why they should be concerned with biodiversity and how this complex topic can be operationalized for various business sustainability reporting areas such as the EMAS core indicators and EMAS environmental statement. It can therefore prove to be a very useful took for organizations envisaging to introduce or renew EMAS.

The “EMAS and Biodiversity” guide provides the resources to better operationalize biodiversity protection into different corporate areas. It contains references to biodiversity, the challenges associated with preserving it along with possible goals and measures. Suggestions for indicators for monitoring and positive examples complete the input for improved management of biodiversity. Download the guide and contribute to biodiversity conservation for a more sustainable future.

The guide is available for free download in German and in English at:

www.business-biodiversity.eu/de/emas-leitfaden

www.business-biodiversity.eu/en/emas-guidance

Moreover, the Lake Constance Foundation will hold two webinars in German in June 2023 to present the guide. Registration is done as an informal email to Michael Scholz (michael [dot] scholzbodensee-stiftung [dot] org (michael[dot]scholz[at]bodensee-stiftung[dot]org)).  

Webinar Dates:

12.06.2023 | 15.00 – 16.00

27.06.2023 | 11.00 – 12.30