19 Dec Biodiversity Literacy – as important as carbon
The risk of overlooking biodiversity and nature – and their contributions to society, climate change and business performance – is not one that any business leader would be prepared to take … if they fully understood it.
While awareness of the term ‘biodiversity loss’ is rising, few businesses recognise it as one of, if not THE, biggest business risks (and opportunities). Those in the know understand that Biodiversity and Nature must be mainstreamed as a fundamental part of their business survival strategy – not a ‘nice to do’, an add-on to carbon reduction or a minor element under the increasingly blanket term of ‘sustainability’.
The UN Biodiversity Plan, adopted at the UN Biodiversity Conference in 2022, addressed the urgent need to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. As a result, there are now growing regulations requiring businesses to monitor, assess and transparently disclose their nature-related risks and impacts.
Over the last 5 weeks, ANIMONDIAL delivered a ‘Biodiversity Literacy for Travel and Tourism’ workshop series to ABTA members. The hugely positive response demonstrated just how much this training is urgently required for our sector and highlighted the clear knowledge gaps that need filling. Read on for an understanding of the depth of knowledge behind the training and the support we can provide your business to focus on this pressing issue.
The Biodiversity Literacy training was developed by ANIMONDIAL, experts in Nature Positive Tourism, in collaboration with the Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU). It provides the knowledge and insight to halt and reverse biodiversity loss and fulfil the obligations of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). In collaboration with ABTA, ANIMONDIAL moulded the course to specifically highlight the objectives, challenges and actions required of Travel & Tourism businesses – from the SME to the multinational.
The training follows a comprehensive pathway to guide anyone, whatever their background knowledge, from a clear understanding of biodiversity concepts and terminology to a broad-based appreciation of how these affect your business, to what to do about it. The five workshops include Biodiversity Basics, Understanding the State of Nature, One Planet – One Plan, Business Action for Nature, and Collaborating for Change.
The following gives a glimpse into key areas covered in our Biodiversity Literacy Training for Travel and Tourism businesses:
First job: Understand the basics
It is business due diligence to make sure you regularly monitor, assess, and disclose your risks, dependencies and impacts on nature. But before you take any action you need to be sure your team has a fundamental grasp of the basics. What do biodiversity, nature, ecosystems and their services actually mean and how do they relate to your business stability and growth? If you already think you have this covered with sustainability and net zero commitments, you may be surprised to learn that biodiversity underpins all of these, and you may currently be missing the most important part of the puzzle.
What are your impacts on nature and how does your business depend on it?
Together we will find out how well you know the state of nature in the destinations you visit: whether you can identify your nature-based dependencies, your key drivers of biodiversity loss and your direct & indirect impacts and their levels of priority. All of which help you identify how best to apply your efforts and budget. Understanding that the supply chain of a typical consumer company is responsible for over 90% of its environmental impact on air, land, water, biodiversity, and geological resources, we review direct and indirect impacts and consider what you can do to influence change in your value chain.
Meet your environmental reporting requirements
By breaking down the acronyms into plain English, we turn the business obligations of the Global Biodiversity Framework into clear, actionable steps. This includes an understanding of new regulations (such as the EU CSRD & CSDDD), and reporting frameworks (such as TNFD LEAP, ESG and GRI) and their relevance to your business. Armed with a double materiality assessment tool (such as NATOUR IMPACT) that provides detailed reporting, identifies impacts & defines priority actions, you can put nature at the heart of your sustainability programme, integrate biodiversity safeguards throughout business operations and create a Nature Positive commitment and strategy.
How to avoid greenwashing and understand Green Claims
‘Words are singularly the most powerful force available to humanity’. Wise words from Yehuda Berg. They, along with images, convey so much – and without due consideration now have the potential to result in regulatory action and expensive fines under new laws such as the Green Claims Directive. Our training provides guidance on what travel businesses can do to avoid greenwashing and how to talk to your customers, employees, and investors transparently about the positive actions you are taking.
Together we are stronger – Biodiversity Partnerships
Collaboration can be fruitful, saving time and money with shared goals achieved for multiple parties. But you need to find the right partners. Learn how to identify best-fit partners that align with your strategic goals, support your destination understanding and facilitate community-led nature restoration actions. We can also introduce you to trusted destination-based animal- and nature-protection organisations within our Animal Protection Network, who you can consider as partners to help you both understand nature in your destinations and take action to restore it.
Cara Oliver, Communications Manager, ANIMONDIAL