Opening Plenary: European biodiversity commitments & business
Francisco Nunes Correia, Minister for Environment, Spatial Planning and Regional Development, Portugal, opened the High Level Conference on Business and Biodiversity on Monday 12 November 2007, at Lisbon’s Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. Underscoring the unprecedented rate of biodiversity loss and the importance of ecosystem goods and services, Correia drew attention to unsustainable development patterns and to the critical role of business in preserving biodiversity. Noting the responsibility of governments and the EU in preparing policies, he called for their implementation and for civil society and private sector participation. “The Portuguese Presidency is committed to involving business in biodiversity conservation,” he said, noting the importance of voluntary agreements with businesses.
“If you give a man a fish, he will not be hungry for a day, if you teach him how to fish, he will… overfish,” said Gunter Pauli, President of Zero Emissions Research Initiative explaining how every day decisions often have unforeseen consequences on the environment. He presented examples of compounds derived from animals and plants that could replace harmful technologies, concluding that “nature is an untapped source of solutions”. He drew attention to “Nature’s 100 Best” a publication to be released in 2008 and noted that entrepreneurship was about changing business models and creating new rules whilst remaining competitive. He concluded that the EU needs policy options so that businesses can make money whilst respecting the commons and regenerating biodiversity.
Peter Carl, Director General for DG Environment, European Commission underscored that the EU is committed to the 2010 biodiversity target and to do as much as possible to halt the “otherwise unstoppable decline of biodiversity” beyond its boundaries. He drew attention to a plethora of initiatives and policies for biodiversity and called for stronger partnerships with business. “The public perception of the economic importance of the loss of biodiversity has been distorted by partial arguments and false logic,” he said, noting that business practices need to be altered and stressing the economic value of biodiversity. “Protecting biodiversity makes sound economic sense but is also essential to our wellbeing,” he concluded. He further noted that climate change and biodiversity are two pressing issues that should not overshadow one another and called for businesses interested in working with the EU on its Business and Biodiversity Initiative to come forwards.
Recalling the commitments made in Rio in 1992, Jaime Gama, President of Portuguese Parliament, noted that biodiversity is still disappearing, which jeopardizes the environment’s ability to respond and adapt to climate change. “This conference provides the opportunity to identify common areas of interest, to work with business,” he said. Underscoring the ambition to avoid another mass extinction, he urged delegates “to make Europe the world champion in the preservation of biodiversity.”
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This summary of the opening plenary of the High Level Conference on Business and Biodiversity that took place on Monday 12 November 2007, at Lisbon’s Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, is produced by the Countdown 2010 Secretariat.
