Rebecca has been working at FFI since September 2007. Though she studied conservation in her BA and MSc, she decided that the life in the jungle just wasn't for her. Having grown up in New York City, she has experienced more pigeons and squirrels than parrots and spider monkeys. So she decided to write about the impact that FFI's projects have on the ground.
Her current role as Communications Officer (Business & Biodiversity) has allowed her to focus her energy towards FFI's innovative Business & Biodiversity Programme. Rebecca helps to get the message out about FFI's strategic corporate partnerships and what they have helped to achieve for global biodiversity.
Fauna & Flora International (FFI) continues to play an active role as a driver of synergy between the business and biodiversity sectors.
The first Global Business of Biodiversity symposium was held in London this week. The event aimed to bring together NGOs, businesses, and government bodies to promote best practice on managing impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services such as freshwater provisioning.
FFI ran a masterclass on biodiversity risk and opportunities where our partners Rio Tinto, Eni, and British American Tobacco (BAT) all presented their biodiversity management models which are leading their respective sectors.
FFI also chaired a session on the extractive sector and exhibited a stand through which we raised awareness of our groundbreaking corporate partnership programme.
The UN-backed initiative The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) launched its much-awaited TEEB for Business Report at the symposium. The report summarises the financial value of biodiversity and ecosystem services to the private sector.
FFI welcomes the launch of the TEEB for Business Report. We featured several times in the report, through our work with Rio Tinto, BAT and the Natural Value Initiative. This report is what is needed to start mainstreaming biodiversity into companies’ business strategies and operations.
“Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (BES) are vital for society but of fundamental importance to business,” said Pippa Howard, Director of FFI’s Corporate Partnerships programme.
“As the world population grows we will be faced with an ever increasing scarcity of resources. Companies that are proactive in understanding their footprint on BES will be able to secure competitive advantage; those that don’t will be exposed to risk.”
“For years FFI has worked with companies that have differentiated themselves through identifying risks and opportunities related to BES,” Pippa added. “We encourage government and the private sector to take heed of the recommendations set out in the TEEB for Business.”
Read the TEEB D3 report on the TEEB website (PDF).
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