Business and Biodiversity
Business engagement is critical in achieving the objectives of the Convention. Businesses that acknowledge their impacts and dependencies on biodiversity and ecosystem services will be better positioned to avoid risks to biodiversity.
The first meeting of the Global Partnership for Business and Biodiversity (GPBB) was held in Tokyo, Japan in December 2011 with more than 200 participants from businesses, governments, and civil society to discuss progress on business and biodiversity. The JBF’s early support in the organization of this meeting was vital, as the outcomes fed directly into the establishment of the Partnership. Today, the GPBB is comprised of 21 national and regional initiatives working together on greater business engagement on biodiversity-related issues.
The JBF supported workshops and forums aimed at raising awareness on biodiversity in the business community and with other stakeholders. Several regional and sub-regional capacity-building workshops were held on the integration of The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) approach into NBSAPs, leading to an increased understanding of the process for conducting and/or commissioning a TEEB study and the importance of capturing ecosystem service values for improved decision making, including in NBSAPs.
The Peruvian International Forum on Business and Biodiversity held in Lima, Peru in January 2014 increased awareness on biodiversity and led to the creation of the Peruvian National Initiative (which joined the Global Partnership shortly afterwards). The initiative has played an important role in building capacity on biodiversity in the private sector.
