Example: Walk us through a specific example(s) of how this solution makes a difference; include its primary activities.
Currently this program is being run by IUCN India with 9 companies. The Program has conducted 5 master classes and multiple incompany sessions to build capacity of member companies. Topics covered so far are ‘Business and Ecosystem Linkages’; ‘Corporate Ecosystem Services Review’; ‘Biodiversity Reporting’, ‘Valuing Natural Capital’; ‘Eco-restoration opportunities in Aravali, to reduce the water stress in Gurgaon the Corporate Hub’ ; ‘Engaging businesses to enhance conservation on the east coast of India’. Recently a series of incompany sessions were undertaken, in collaboration with WBCSD to train 60 professionals of 9 large scale cement companies , introducing IBMS and BIRS to enable them to take biodiversity informed mgt. decisions.
Impact: What is the impact of the work to date? Also describe the projected future impact for the coming years.
Currently we are intensively building capacity of 9 companies. In growth phase, it will be an improved version and project will target sectors to bring sectoral impacts. It will organize training, workshops and campaigns to engage with (A) Real Estate, IT Campuses, Educational Institutions, to focus on urban biodiversity with a goal to enhance specie richness & specie abundance. (B)Food and Beverage company,Pharmaceuticals; Agri Business, to focus on flora and fauna diversity, importance of Key Stone species, Importance of Ecosystem Services and restoration of regionally important eco-systems for reviving ecosystem services (C) Extractive Sectors to focus on degraded landscapes, (D)Research and Consultancy, Banks to garner larger support through science and economics based arguments. Thus in next two years 40 companies are envisaged to be covered, influencing their corporate policies.
Spread Strategies: Moving forward, what are the main strategies for scaling impact?
The main spread strategy is to take up high scale campaigns in Growth Phase and engage with sectoral associations like CREDAI for Real Estate, Tea and Agri boards for Agribusiness, FIMI for mining, thus engaging with good number of businesses and other stakeholders, to accomplish the desired vision. Key ecosystems will be identified for restoration, to conserve biodiversity and to revive ecosystem services, with help of businesses. A large number of corporate policies is thus visualized to be influenced in favor of biodiversity and health of millions of consumers.
