BSR Insight Articles About Ecosystem Services
Report Proposes Economic, Policy Approaches to Protect Ecosystems
Julia Robinson, Communications Associate
A policy brief commissioned by the Planet Under Pressure Conference calls for new economic and management models, as well as global institutions, to protect declining biodiversity and ecosystems. According to the brief, modern production has put "unprecedented" pressure on ecosystem services--the flows from natural systems from which people benefit--and biodiversity. While affluent populations tend to consume the most resources, the less affluent suffer a disproportionate amount of the consequences of degradation. The brief's main recommendations include: * Incorporate biodiversity and ecosystem services (BES) values into policy and management decisions. * Integrate BES into water- and land-use planning. * Restructure governance arrangements to accommodate ecosystems that transcend political boundaries. * Implement policies and practices that address unequal access to the benefits derived from BES. BSR's Ecosystem Services Working Group studies the risks and opportunities of changing ecosystems. The working group released a report today that examines the emerging trends in the uptake of ecosystem services. Such research of new methods for protecting biodiversity and ecosystems will be central to discussions at Rio+20 in June. Read more
Scaling Up Payments for Watershed Services
Linda Hwang, Former Manager, Research
Watershed Connect, a new online platform by Forest Trends and Ecosystem Marketplace, helps water managers, policymakers, and other stakeholders involved in investing in watersheds share information and resources to help solve the global water crisis. Through payments for watershed services (PWS) programs, cities globally have been addressing water scarcity and declining quality cost effectively by restoring and protecting the natural infrastructure that supplies clean water. Through these programs, landowners receive financial incentives to conserve, sustainably manage, and/or restore watersheds to yield services like purification, flood and erosion control, and places for people to enjoy the outdoors. Despite much activity, there has been no effective space for those involved in PWS to share experiences and ideas. This platform aims to make information on various programs more accessible so more practitioners can receive news and analyses, join relevant discussions, share their own project work, and access resources to help them implement or scale up their own PWS schemes. Read more
KPMG Report Picks 10 Sustainability ‘Megaforces’
Population growth, material resource scarcity, climate change, and energy and fuel are among the issues in sustainability that could have significant impact on the business landscape over the next 20 years, according to a recent report by KPMG International. The “Expect the Unexpected: Building Business Value in a Changing World” report outlines 10 global sustainability “megaforces” that are putting the world on a development trajectory that is “not sustainable.” Others on the list include water scarcity, wealth, urbanization, food security, ecosystem decline, and deforestation. (The report is 180 pages; the executive summary is here.) The report notes that all of these forces are interconnected, and insists that in order to manage the risks, businesses must use a systems thinking approach that addresses the ways megaforces relate to each other. Specific recommendations include: * Companies should turn strategic plans into ambitious targets and actions for sustainability supply chain management. * Companies should seek collaboration with business partners on sustainability issues. * Governments should increase collaboration with the private sector. Read more
Corporate Environmental Performance in Practice
Linda Hwang, Former Manager, Research Sissel Waage, Director, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Kit Armstrong, Senior Advisor, BSR
Note: This article is the second piece in a two-part series on the uptake of ecosystem services. Read part one of our series, on the increasing integration of ecosystem services within government, the investor community, and business sectors. Read more
The Quiet Revolution: The Changing Expectations of Corporate Environmental Performance
Linda Hwang, Former Manager, Research Sissel Waage, Director, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Kit Armstrong, Senior Advisor, BSR
Note: This article is the first piece in a two-part series on the uptake of ecosystem services. Read part two of our series, on the increasing integration of ecosystem services within government, the investor community, and business sectors. In today’s complex operating environment, it is becoming more important for companies to scrutinize how they manage corporate processes that affect the natural infrastructure upon which business and society rely. This infrastructure supplies ecosystem services—the flows from systems that provide raw materials for business—such as fertile topsoil (providing timber and crops), a relatively predictable climate, and coastal protection from storms. Read more
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