Previous updates
August 2008 The value of neglected species for sustainable d evelopmentThis most interesting guidance document explores how little known species can play a key role in alleviating poverty and conserving biodiversity.  Promoting value chains of neglected and underutilized species The increasing value of ecological restoration
In a thought provoking essay, James Blignaut and James Aronson make the case for using 'negative interest rates' to capture the increasing value over time of ecological restoration projects. Getting serious about maintaining biodiversity Economic analyses of marine management actions
A new clear and concise UNEP/GEF "guideline describes how to assess the economy of management actions to conserve marine and coastal resources." Though it focuses on the Yellow Sea, the concepts and techniques presented can be applied to other marine systems as well. Guideline for economic analyses of environmental management actions for the Yellow Sea
July 2008
Engaging European business to protect biodiversity
The July issue of the EC's nature newsletter focuses on business and biodiversity. "The European Commission is ... convinced that the business community can make a significant contribution towards biodiversity protection both inside and outside the EU. We need their support and engagement if we are to succeed in halting biodiversity loss."
Natura 2000 (July 2008)What to do now about climate change?
Nicolas Stern is contributing to the current discussions on what we should actually be doing now to tackle climate change. His new report on 'Key elements of a global deal on climate change' seeks to address three core principles: effectiveness, efficiency, and equity.
Key elements Defining sustainability
The A to Z of Corporate Social Responsibility provides a concise introduction to sustainability.
Sustainability
Engaging the poor in business
A new UNDP report on 'Creating value for all: Strategies for doing business with the poor' offers strategies and tools for companies to expand beyond raditional business practices and bring in the world's poor as partners in growth and wealth creation. This excellent report from the UN's development programme explore a critical building block for sustainability.
Creating value for all
June 2008 Sponsoring in alpine parks
Earthmind associate, Barbara Mueller, has written a most interesting MSc dissertation on corporate sponsorship of protected areas. She explains: "Although private sector contributions will probably remain only a limited co-financing tool for the global protected area network in general, sponsorships - when developed and managed systematically - can lead to attractive contributions to park budgets on the individual site level especially in developed countries with a solid and dedicated corporate sector." Her paper is highly recommended for parks managers in search of new sources of funding.
Park + Corporation = Sponsorship
Profile of Barbara MuellerWhat's biodiversity worth to us? Launched at the recent 9th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the interim TEEB report on 'The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity' "aims to promote a better understanding of the true economic value of ecosystem services and to offer economic tools that take proper account of this value." ... This report "demonstrates the huge significance of ecosystems and biodiversity and the threats to human welfare if no action is taken to reverse current damage and losses." This report is also know as a Stern report for biodiversity.
TEEB report
May 2008 Geneva classes on global environment and sustainable development
The Duke University Program on Global Policy and Governance has a limited number of spaces available for students in four separate one-week classes being conducted in Geneva this summer. The courses are associated with Sanford Institute of Public Policy Masters in Public Policy programme. The course on Global Environment and Sustainable Development is being co-organised by Earthmind associate Erwin Rose and will be held on June 30-July 4.
Duke University courses for academic credit in Geneva, Switzerland Encouraging conservation
In May, our governments are meeting in Bonn, Germany, in their 9th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity. A major agenda item is biodiversity incentives. Are they on track with encouraging conservation? Have a look at the background papers for the meeting on incentive measures:
In-depth review of the programme of work on incentive measures Paying for coastal & freshwater ecosystem services
There is an increasing interest in the "payments for ecosystem services" or PES and this newsletter provides a good overview for coastal and freshwater systems.
Basins and coasts news - May 2008 - Payment for environmental services
www.imcafs.org
April 2008 Banking on ecosystem services
This report from the UN Environment Programme explores linkages between ecosystem services and the financial sector: "It is becoming an issue of global policy that the benefits provided by biodiversity are valued and accounted for within traditional business risk frameworks. The finance sector can play a significant role in incentivising this based on arguments of investment risk and return and business opportunity.
Biodiversity and ecosystem services: A financial sector briefing The case for biodiversity business
The comprehensive report by IUCN and Shell on building biodiversity business is now available. For more information and to download a copy of the report, please visit:
earthmind.net/bbb What should ecological economists do?
In a thought-provoking article, Paul Ehrlich explores the roles for economists in conserving our threatened ecosystems.
Key issues for attention from ecological economists
March 2008 Organic carbon
The Organic Products Division of the International Trade Centre has produced an excellent report which explains that organic agriculture has much to offer in mitigation of climate change through its emphasis on closed nutrient cycles and is a particularly resilient and productive system for adaptation strategies.
Organic farming and climate change
www.intracen.org/dbms/organics/index.asp Public use of private standards
Earthmind associate, Christine Carey, is heading up a project for the ISEAL Alliance and TSPN on New Forms of Institutional Innovation -- Linking Government Actions and Private Voluntary Standards to Achieve Public Policy Objectives.
ISEAL-TSPN public use - private standards brief
earthmind.net/iseal.htm OECD looks at our serious environmental challenges
James Leape, the head of WWF, explains that “When a body such as the OECD says that on a range of environmental issues we need to act globally and we need to act now, then it is clear that as communities, countries and companies we need to roll up our collective sleeves and get on with it,” Importantly, the OECD Environmental Outlook to 2030 not only assesses the serious issue of climate change, but also the critical environmental issues of biodiversity, renewable natural resources, water, air quality, waste and hazardous chemicals.
Executive summary
www.oecd.org/environment/outlookto2030 Valuing large marine ecosystems
In mid-2007, Earthmind assisted the IUCN Global Marine Programme in organising an international workshop to explore the role of valuation in managing large marine ecosystems. A report on the workshop (starting on page 2) as well as other articles of interest on international waters can be found in the January 2008 edition of the GEF IW:LEARN's Bridges newsletter:
Bridges (January 2008)
Much more information on the workshop including a large number of reference documents and presentations is available at:
earthmind.net/marine
February 2008 The implications of climate change for employment
Earthmind has been advising the ILO on labour and the environment. Most recently five draft cases studies have produced such as the following:
bangladesh-solar-power
For more draft case studies, see:
earthmind.net/labour/briefing/cases.htm The moral duty to eat African strawberries at Christmas
This comment came out last October from the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. It addresses a key challenge of sustainability:
Food miles or poverty eradication? Engaging business in disaster risk reduction
The World Economic Forum has played a key leadership role in promoting private sector engagement in efforts to reduce disaster risk. See their newest report:
Building resilience to natural disasters: A framework for private sector engagement Making the business case for ecosystems
In this extract from the January 2008 edition of IUCN's magazine, World Conservation, the business case for conserving and investing in ecosystems conservation is presented.
Natural capital
iucn.org/publications/worldconservation/2008_01
January 2008 Birds on the move
RSPB and BirdLife International have released a new Climatic Atlas of European Breeding Birds. The associated flyer introduces the Atlas and explains that: "without vigorous and immediate action to reduce climate change, the potential future range of the average European bird species will shift by nearly 550 km north-east by the end of this century, and will reduce in size by a fifth."
RSBP & BirdLife's flyer Using wildlife in order to conserve it
On the 14th of January, the Economist published an online article under the provocative title:
Point and shoot: Killing African animals may help conserve them
It reports on the views of Mike Norton-Griffiths that tourism alone won't conserve wildlife. Incentives to use wildlife sustainably are needed to encourage landowners to conserve them. Articles by Norton-Griffiths can be found on his website:
www.mng5.com Managing marine ecosystems sustainably
There is a new quarterly information service on marine ecosystem-based management. Known as Marine Ecosystems and Management (MEAM), its current issue explores the challenges of 'scaling up' marine management systems:
MEAM 2
For back issues and to subscribe, please visit:
depts.washington.edu/meam Making the business case for biodiversity in Europe
In November 2007 in Lisbon, Ministers and representatives from governments, business and civil society participated in a High level Conference on Business and Biodiversity organized by the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council. They agreed on message which included recommending the development of market-based approaches to biodiversity:
Message from Lisbon on business and biodiversity
More information is available on the conference website:
www.countdown2010.net/business
A full report of the conference is in preparation. A preliminary rough draft of the text is available on the Earthmind worksite for the conference:
earthmind.net/eibb |