Launch of biodiversity-oriented design of business premises monitoring system to assess business performance and commitment to biodiversity

 

 

The LIFE BooGI-BOP team has launched version 1.0 of the biodiversity-oriented design of business premises (BOP) monitoring system to help assess the progress made by businesses when implementing actions to improve biodiversity in their premises across Europe.  

 

BOP is a pragmatic approach to contribute to the protection of biodiversity – especially in densely populated regions –. BOPs such us flower meadows, hedges, green roofs and water bodies provide permanent or temporary habitats for local fauna and flora and contribute to the creation of ecological corridors and the interconnection of the so-called green infrastructure.

 

Throughout Europe, the BooGI-BOP project partners raise the awareness and motivation of companies and related economic actors to include biodiversity as an important topic into the company’s management and decision-making. Through initial assessments, companies receive an individual overview on the potential for biodiversity of their premises and advice on the next steps for a biodiversity-oriented design of premises.

 

The development of the BOP monitoring system is a relevant milestone that will allow the project to assess BOP´s actions as a result of the adoption by businesses of BOP criteria in the management of their corporate and real state green areas, gardens or infrastructures oriented to biodiversity over time.

 

Three main areas of concern: biodiversity, social and corporate

The monitoring system proposed covers three complementary areas with their respective sets of questions to evaluate company performance and commitment to biodiversity: “Biodiversity” (part 1 and part 2) that aims to monitor company´s actions to improve biodiversity in its premises; Social, whose aim is to monitor potential biodiversity contributions to employee’s well-being and citizen awareness; and Corporate”. This latest looks at the integration of biodiversity into the management of the company.

 

The survey integrated into the monitoring system collects data about BOP provided by companies’ staff as well as information about external activities of the company regarding contribution of BOP to green corridors, other green infrastructures or protected species conservation initiatives. These activities directly contribute to the reduction of pressures or threats to biodiversity. The survey connects companies with an open database, species lists or maps in order to facilitate data collection.

 

Companies that have existing BOP are welcome to participate filling in this monitoring survey to assess how BOP measures that they have implemented are contributing to enhance biodiversity and the well-being of employees and society are very welcome to complete the three sets of questions aforementioned. In case you are interested in participating, please send an email to the adequate contact person in your country. After completing the questionnaires, the BooGI-BOP team will provide a monitoring report with the aggregated data of the test-phase exclusively for the participating companies

 

The BooGI-BOP team has edited a guidance document to help companies navigate through the monitoring system. 

 

BOPs and the EU Biodiversity Strategy

BOPs´ purpose is aligned with the new EU Biodiversity Strategy, that highlights that biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse are one of the biggest threats facing humanity and that they also threaten the foundations of our economy. To reverse these trends, the strategy aims to ensure that Europe's biodiversity will be on the path to recovery by 2030 for the benefit of people, the planet, the climate and our economy, in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and with the objectives of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

 

Some measures suggested by the strategy are to set up ecological corridors to prevent genetic isolation, allow for species migration, and maintain and enhance healthy ecosystems as well as planting trees and deploying green infrastructure. In addition to this, the strategy recognizes the fact that protecting and restoring nature will need more than regulation alone. “It will require action by citizens, businesses, social partners and the research and knowledge community, as well as strong partnerships between local, regional, national and European level”. Everyone has a role to play to stop biodiversity loss and private sector involvement as key agent for change will be crucial. For this reason, the monitoring system developed by LIFE BooGI-BOP partners can be a useful tool to evaluate to what extent biodiversity-oriented design of business premises applied by companies are helping achieve EU Biodiversity Strategy objectives.

 

 

 

Image source: Stiftung Natur und Wirtschaft

 

 

 

 

 

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