Stressing the economic importance of biodiversity, the State Secretary of the Federal German Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Matthias Machnig, opened the Business and Biodiversity Conference (2-3 April, Bonn, Germany) with these words: “We have to learn from the climate debate and make the topic attractive to the public. Therefore, we need clear objectives, further cooperation and a recognized scientific institution such as the IPCC for climate protection”. He furthermore pointed out to the importance of the German Business and Biodiversity Initiative, launched by the Ministry last year in order to help mobilize the business community in reaching the objectives of the Convention. With this intention, more than 250 representatives of business, governmental and non governmental organizations (NGOs), the European Union and scientific institutions met to exchange best practise, methodologies and strategies on how to integrate biodiversity into corporate management systems (1). Invited by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH and Global Nature Fund (GNF), participants discussed the special implications for the financial services sector, ABS related issues, and the interrelation with climate change. Participants stressed the need for developing comprehensive indicator systems, setting frameworks, and combining efforts globally.

Silja Dressel is Project Officer, Business and Biodiversity Initiative. (1) Visit Global Nature Fund's Business and Biodiversity International Conferences for conference presentations and summaries.

See also: Germany's Business and Biodiversity Initiative Programme