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23 May 07: Ecosystem services & PES: Why should businesses care? |
08 May 2007 (WWF)
Governments, communities, and NGOs share the burden of protecting the environment. Governments must work out the rules of the game, prime the pump, and in many cases be
the direct procurers of some ecosystem services (public goods).
Community and conservation NGOs must ensure that ES and PES are pursued
with equity—balancing the interests of people and nature—to increase
job and income opportunities for the rural poor and deliver real,
on-the-ground conservation. Finding creative and equitable business
arrangements is not a new concept, and companies that have already
embraced corporate social and environmental responsibility are well
positioned to take advantage of the business opportunities inherent in
the five PES Business Models described within. In recent years, there
has been an upsurge of initiatives to increase society’s awareness of
ecosystem services and a rush to devise mechanisms to pay for
sustaining them. The business sector is bound to be a key player here,
as a buyer and a seller of ecosystem services as well as a market
developer and innovator. With this in mind, in November 2006, WWF
invited a dozen representatives of some of the world’s largest food,
beverage, energy, and mining companies to join staff from government
agencies, financial institutions, and nongovernmental organizations
(NGOs) in Vienna to exchange ideas and identify collaborative
opportunities.
Original article
WWF Publication
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