Langholme Moor, Scotland
Wildlife conservation in the UK is changing rapidly, we are more aware than ever of the threats to nature and how organisations approach the problem is also being transformed in ways that will bring people and nature closer together. This period of transition is both exciting and challenging as conservation moves from being regarded as a cost to one that can deliver and sell valuable nature based services that support both our communities and our economy. The issue is that government funding is far from enough to support this transition to the point where charities can sell these services at scale and time is running out. Without much greater corporate philanthropy we will miss the goal of 30% of the UK being restored to nature by 2030, which is critical for climate change mitigation and adaptation. This provides an opportunity for companies to increase the positive impact they have on society at the same time as they are, hopefully, reducing the harm that their operations cause. The World Economic Forum calls this stakeholder capitalism, but put simply this is about companies using their significant resources to do more good and less harm.
In the UK, we have historically focused on protecting wildlife in other countries. In reality, UK wildlife is in a far worse state. The UK is placed 189th globally for biodiversity and the recent rapid rate of decline in animal numbers has raised the profile of the issue. Having lost enigmatic species like lynx, wolves and bears centuries ago, we are now facing the extinction in the UK of other beloved species like hedgehogs, nightingales and turtle doves. At the same time, exciting projects that have reintroduced beavers, bison and storks have opened up new possibilities for conservation. This risk of loss combined with exciting species re-introductions have opened the public’s eyes to the issues, and sparked the imagination of what the future could hold for wildlife in Britain. At the same time, the public are looking to businesses to lead on environmental issues. In a recent survey by the research firm Qualtrics, it was found that 80% of customers and 84% of employees are more likely to buy from/work for a company that stands up for the environment. The transformation in UK conservation is opening up the opportunity for companies to not only impact the E, but also the S of ESG.
As a result, businesses are spending millions each year promoting their ‘good deeds’ but, as HSBC found out recently, if the good deeds you promote are disproportionately small compared to the negative impacts you have, this will be called out publicly as greenwashing. To put this into context, HSBC said it was helping to plant 2 million trees, which would cost c. $1m, in Q3 this year HSBC announced profits of $3.4bn of which a significant proportion still comes from fossil fuel financing. This isn't to say HSBC shouldn't plant trees, the opposite in fact, they need to support more efforts that have a direct impact in mitigating climate change and less of those that cause it.
Patagonia’s brand by comparison is one of the most trusted because it lives its values of continually trying to have a positive impact on the planet. It accepts it’s not perfect, but when accused of greenwashing it can point to thousands of actions it has taken that have set the bar for other companies. Some of these actions relate to the way Patagonia operates its business and supply chains, but others are charitable as the company funds hundreds of conservation projects as well improving social and economic opportunities for the communities it works with.
As the process of conservation changes in the UK, the importance of addressing both nature and socio-economic issues is becoming central to new projects. We are moving away from the concept of protecting small areas of nature or even a specific species, to one that places the interests of rural communities and nature alongside one another and at a much larger scale. Furthermore, markets and regulation are changing. The goal is that wildlife organisations will be able to capitalise on the existing and future natural capital within their projects (carbon, biodiversity net gain etc). These new approaches have the potential to transform the way we think about and interact with nature, bringing its social and economic value to the fore and improving the lives of millions of people in a way that economic growth alone has not and cannot do in isolation. The challenge is it will take time and investment for these approaches to mature before they become more self-sustaining and support is desperately needed from companies to unlock their potential without the traditional expectations of returns.
The good news is that there are already examples of this model in effect. In Scotland, new projects like The Langholme Community Initiative and Highlands Rewilding have either increased community ownership of the land or plan to through Crowdfunding, but, to get started, they both needed large donations from companies, wealthy individuals and financing. They plan to deliver a whole range of nature based services that, if successful, will not only improve biodiversity and sequester carbon, but also create dozens of new rural jobs through ecological management, agro-ecology and tourism. Indirect jobs could include the creation of new local manufacturing for things like furniture and food as well as hospitality. Technology and innovation are a critical component to these projects being able to prove empirically how much carbon has been sequestered, water stored and biodiversity improved. Highlands Rewilding has been using drones, lasers and AI to build up a comprehensive baseline for carbon sequestration and biodiversity on its land.
This idea of multiple groups working together to create scale has been taken even further by projects like The Weald to Waves in Sussex, Trees for Life in Scotland and Norfolk: Wilder, Wetter and Better for Nature which seek to create wildlife corridors along routes of diverse land ownership, existing conservation organisations and multiple communities. These projects have the potential to scale faster as they don't need the capital to buy land. Instead they they will provide skills, funding and project support to farmers, land owners and community groups that are working towards a common purpose and vision that sees both communities and nature uplifted.
In the same Qualtrics survey referenced previously, 91% of business leaders believed they had a responsibility to act on ESG issues showing that the appetite is there for action. A number of UK businesses have already taken the initiative and are supporting this new breed of conservation projects. SSE and Natwest Group are partners in the Langholme Community Initiative, Superdry supports Trees for Life and Kingfisher's B&Q and Screwfix brands support the Woodland Trust’s Snaizeholme project in Yorkshire. While there are many more I haven’t named, many more are needed.
The choice is simple, if you are a leader and want your brand to be associated with positive action towards the planet, do more good and less harm. These new wildlife projects provide businesses large and small with the opportunity to align their actions with their values and to support both environmental and social issues simultaneously.
If you would like to learn more about supporting UK wildlife email ashley@wildbritain.org
Comments