Issue #10 - Nature-Based Solutions

Hi everyone, and welcome to the latest issue of People, Planet, Partners . This month, I would like to highlight the power of nature-based solutions to climate change.

The United Nations report from 2021, “Making Peace with Nature”, highlights how economic and financial systems must be transformed to recognise the value to humans in biodiversity and nature. Sir David Attenborough’s powerful advocacy for the benefits of a return to a more biodiverse environment amplifies this message.

The incredible ingenuity of people tends to make us think of human solutions to every problem. We look to technology and engineering as the answer. But this often has unforeseen negative consequences; extracting and burning fossil fuels was seen as a brilliant solution to a problem at the time, but the disastrous consequences later became apparent. Conversely, nature-based solutions often have unexpected positive consequences.

The trophic cascade seen after the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone Park is a prime example. What seemed like a massive risk paid off many times over. The wolves returned the eco-system to a dynamic balance, allowing biodiversity to explode, buffering climate change through carbon capture, and boosting tourism to support the local communities. I am not advocating the reintroduction of wolves into our Dagenham site, or wild boar into our head office, but we can take a serious look at biodiversity opportunities across our business.

As part of #EarthDay later in April, we are looking at how we can enhance our green space at our sites to create habitats for insects and wildflowers. These small changes lead to bigger ideas, trigger local ownership, and deliver unexpected human wellbeing benefits as our people enjoy the engaging outside space.

Nature is the best fixer we have. Many of you will have seen the rapid wilding of Chernobyl (thanks again to Sir David). If we can give nature some space, it consumes carbon and restores balance even in the most hostile of environments. The greatest carbon sink in the world isn’t manufactured, it is the biodiversity (and bio-density) found in genuinely wild environments like the temperate rainforests of Britain (yes we do have our own rainforests!) or the kelp forests off the west coast of North America.

By selecting nature-based offsetting schemes, businesses can drive the protection and expansion of bio-diverse and carbon-consuming environments like these. It means we must scrutinise how we invest, accepting that the benefits will be worldwide and not just for our own business or even our own country.

I firmly believe that engaging the power of business to drive sustainability is the fastest and most effective way to make gains. But how do we initiate and make positive changes stick? Converting the most influential people in your business to your cause is vital. This is a continuous process and I have had to be opportunistic, persuasive, and cunning in my approach, but the rewards are substantial. With the right people engaged, your ability to make changes grows exponentially.

I work with a senior team that is enlightened and passionate about sustainability and I enjoy incredible support as a result. With that support behind me I am able to increase our focus on finding nature-based solutions to increase biodiversity locally, as well as on a global scale, to help reduce one of the major threats to our planet.

Thanks for taking the time to read People, Planet, Partners. And as ever, if you have any questions or comments, please leave them below!

Lucy

Here’s a list of some of the books and publications that have inspired me - I hope that you find them useful too.

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