In November, world leaders gathered at the COP-26 conference in Glasgow to discuss “decisive change” in climate strategies for the future and reassess net-zero targets. Their conclusions? We all need to be doing more, especially in the corporate world. Increasingly, companies are incorporating sustainability strategies into their economic models to meet environmental regulations and shift towards a Just Transition.
One of the new innovative sustainability strategies proposed by Natural England is Biodiversity Net-Gain. This requires new residential and infrastructural developments to create 10% more biodiversity than previously. New chair of Natural England, Tony Juniper is driving plans to “increase the supply of nature” in developed areas to improve post-pandemic biodiversity and mental and physical wellbeing.
During the lockdowns, we saw a surge in the numbers of people using public parks and green spaces to benefit their health. As urban sprawl into rural areas has continued in the last few decades due to the ongoing housing crisis, green spaces, particularly wild spaces have declined. Juniper wants to counter this, adding a 47% increase to Natural England’s budget in an attempt to match urban development with our need for nature.
Alongside Natural England’s budget increases, Juniper has called on the government to take more decisive action on improving green spaces. Advocating for "public money for public goods", Juniper argues that the government's conservation efforts are not satisfactory given the scale of the crises we face. The government's target is to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030 but Juniper believes this is not enough. The IPCC's latest report shows that we are rapidly heading towards 1.5 degrees of warming and if industries do not respond accordingly to this, there may be severe economic consequences for businesses in the future.
How can companies meet this challenge and adapt their strategies to incorporate Biodiversity Net-Gain? Bee Conservation offers companies a credible and scalable way to offset carbon emissions and improve biodiversity. Companies can rent a beehive for their office space or choose to place it in an area of new development and as bees pollinate up to three miles from their hive, the hive will tangibly improve biodiversity. CEO of Bee Conservation, Thalia White says “I founded Bee Conservation to help business leaders thinking about climate change exceed environmental guidelines. Given the challenges we face, it’s crucial we incorporate climate into our strategies.”
To find out more about how Bee Conservation can support Biodiversity Net Gain strategies, contact us at info@beeconservation.org.uk