08 Jun, 2017
Businesses can play an important role in combating the causes of biodiversity loss. On the one hand, the services provided by nature are at the basis of many economic processes. On the other hand, economic activity alters biodiversity and ecosystems – and often degrades them. On invitation by the Indian Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MoEFCC), the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is hosting IBBI with the support of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
On June 8, 2017 CII organized the business and biodiversity conference in Mumbai with special focus on National Biodiversity Targets. At the inaugural session Mr R Mukundan, MD & CEO, Tata Chemicals said, “Companies should commit themselves to sustainable business practices, not just to profits, and that will pave the way for success of these initiatives at local as well as global level.” Mr. Mukundan played a pivotal role in leading IBBI from its inception in 2014. Mr Brotin Banerjee, MD & CEO, Tata Housing Development Company Ltd shall take the baton forward and has been selected as the new chairperson for IBBI. At the session Mr. Banerjee said, “Businesses should exploit the opportunity provided by biodiversity and climate change mitigation by adopting ethical sourcing of products, risk mitigation and building their brand as an ethical business entity.”
Dr Amita Prasad, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment, forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) was the chief guest to the conference. She acknowledged the work done by IBBI and said “It is important to develop awareness about the benefits of biodiversity and climate change mitigation in small and medium industries (SMEs) in smaller towns and enlist their participation”
L-R: Mr R Mukundan, MD & CEO, Tata Chemicals, Mr Brotin Banerjee, Chairman IBBI and MD & CEO, Tata Housing Development Company Ltd, Dr Amita Prasad, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment, forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Dr Preeti Soni, Assistant Country Director and Head (Energy and Environment), UNDP, Dr Konrad Uebelhoer, Director of Indo German Biodiversity Programme at GIZ India and Ms. Seema Arora, Deputy Director General at CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development at IBBI’s Business and Biodiversity conference in Mumbai
Dr Konrad Uebelhoer, Director of the Indo-German Biodiversity Programme at GIZ India lauded the efforts of CII and MoEFCC in establishing the India Business and Biodiversity Initiative. In his address Dr Uebelhoer said “Climate change and biodiversity are considered as global public goods. In case of Climate change each country’s emissions of greenhouse gases contribute cumulatively to the increase of the overall concentration and Biodiversity for its power to transcend national boundaries”
In the second session Mr. P. S. Narayan, Vice President & Head Sustainability, Wipro Limited and Mr. Nachiketa Das, Senior Economist at GIST Advisory Pvt. Ltd. Launched IBBI’s Natural Capital Externalities Toolkit which highlighted the benefits of economic valuation of biodiversity for a company and how this tool could help the companies in understanding its impact on biodiversity.
Dr Konrad Uebelhoer
Director of Biodiversity Programme at GIZ India
At the Business & Biodiversity Conference on June 8th, GIZ conducted a special session on Sustainable agriculture and forestry with special focus on biodiversity-friendly production and commercialization. Ms. Marina Kosmus, Head of the Global Project Private Business Action for Biodiversity shared important findings of three global studies that were commissioned by GIZ last year. In her address Ms. Kosmus mentioned that “Private investment in biodiversity and conservation has more than doubled over the last decade, with sustainable forestry and agriculture as main drivers of growth. Still there is a need to improve institutional conditions and increase investment opportunities that match risk-reward expectations, facilitating financial and market access to promote biodiversity friendly production and commercialization.”
Ms. Marina Kosmus from GIZ at the Business and Biodiversity conference
A panel discussion with industry experts (Dr Suhas Buddhe from Biocare and Ms. Alka Talwar from TATA Chemicals), civil society (Dr Ravi Singh from WWF India) and Indian Government (Mr. Pradip Sarmokadam from the Goa State Biodiversity Board) was moderated by GIZ. Pressing questions such as the main incentives for biodiversity friendly production and commercialization, how is the government supporting the Private Sector to business and biodiversity?
L- R: Dr Suhas Buddhe, Chief Managing Director, Biocare India Pvt. Ltd, Dr Ravi Singh, Secretary General and CEO, Ms. Marina Kosmus, Head of GIZ Global Project Private Business Action for Biodiversity, Mr. Pradip Sarmokadam, Member Secretary, Goa State Biodiversity Board and Ms. Alka Talwar, Chief CSR & Sustainability Officer Tata Chemicals Ltd. at a panel discussion organized by GIZ’s Private Business Action for Biodiversity (PBAB) project
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