Increased attention to biodiversity should be profitable. Not only for nature but also for business. This is what Svemin claims and is now the first industry organization, in collaboration with Ecogain, to develop a roadmap for how to do it.
Svemin's new Mining with Nature project aims to create a comprehensive picture of the biodiversity issues relevant to the mining industry, both globally and in Sweden. The aim is to make it easier for the industry and individual companies to understand risks and opportunities and to set goals for their organization-specific work.
The mining industry in Sweden has the ambition to be a pioneer in sustainable mining and now it is time to take the next step. We want to go beyond fossil-free and take even greater responsibility for biodiversity," says Maria Sunér Fleming, CEO of the mining industry organization Svemin, project owner and initiator of the initiative.
In addition, the issue of biodiversity will soon move up the international agenda. A new strategic plan for the Convention on Biological Diversity will be decided at the planned UN COP15 Biodiversity conference in China in October 2020.
It is really great to work with Svemin and the mining companies who are pioneers in this. We notice that the loss of biodiversity is becoming increasingly business-critical and the issue is as important to humanity as the climate. That's why it feels important to work on a roadmap together with the mining industry.
Tove Hägglund, Chief Biodiversity & Business Officer, Ecogain.
She points out that functioning ecosystems help reduce the effects of climate change, such as floods and droughts. These are examples of ecosystem services that nature provides us with for free. Other examples of ecosystem services are food, fresh air and clean water. For nature to deliver ecosystem services to our society, we need to conserve biodiversity - the variety of plants and animals and their habitats.
The mines' biodiversity roadmap may well become a model for others.
I am convinced that even more companies and industries than the mining industry will soon see the need to develop strategies for biodiversity in the same way as they do today for the climate issue.
Tove Hägglund, Chief Biodiversity & Business Officer, Ecogain.
Read more about the project: https://www.svemin.se/projekt-mining-with-nature/
