The Time for Biodiversity Business Contents Dear Readers .......................................................................................... 02 Becoming a Local in Isla Costa Rica ................................................ 22 ViewPoints About IUCN and Acknowledgments ................................................ 04 The Honey Pot of Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park ..... 23 Destination: Conservation. The IUCN NL Experience Crossword and Credits .................................................................... 41 Towards a Sustainable Cocoa Brand in Mesoamerica ...................... 25 with the Tourism & Biodiversity Small Grants Programme ................ 10 Biodiversity Businesses Promoting Ecotourism in Lebanon ................................................... 26 Involving Professional Businesses through Supply Chains: The Tourism Experience ................................................................... 15 Mkuru Camel Safari: Authentic African Adventures .......................... 05 Handicrafts that Support a River Basin ............................................ 28 Benefiting Local Communities through Biodiversity-Based Natural Products from the Land of Cedars ....................................... 06 Sustainable Trade in Natural Products ............................................. 32 Micro-Enterprise Development ......................................................... 17 Wild Jordan: In the Nature Business ................................................ 07 The Buhoma Village Walk for Conservation ...................................... 34 Towards ‘Sourcing with Respect’: Engaging Private Industry Ojon: A Well-Kept Secret ................................................................. 09 Operating Ecotourism in ‘Salto del Limón’ ....................................... 35 to Promote Ethical Sourcing Practices ............................................. 18 Ecoturismo Comunitario: A Network of Ecotourism Providers .......... 11 Empowering Paper .......................................................................... 36 Creating Markets for Biodiversity Offsets: Himalayan BioTrade: Nature-Friendly Forest Products ...................... 13 African Natural Foods ...................................................................... 38 The Case of CDC Biodiversité in France .......................................... 24 Editorial SalvaNATURA: Publishing for Nature .................................. 16 The Essence of the Amazon ............................................................ 39 The Role of Government in Building Sustainability Businesses ......... 27 Building a Sustainable Rattan Industry ............................................. 19 Conservation in the Blood ................................................................ 40 Conservation: Small Grants Generate Sustainable Incomes ............. 30 Wild Flowers from the Cape Floral Kingdom .................................... 20 Ensuring a Fair Share of Benefits to Communities ............................ 31 Biyotematur: Specialists in Nature Tours .......................................... 21 Certification: Scaling Up the Business in Biodiversity ....................... 37 1 proposition in its own right, and for with the development of biodiversity been funded by the French Ministry Dear more private capital to be invested in businesses. However, these ventures of Ecology, Energy, Sustainable enterprises that build their business often have not been initiated with Development and Town and Country model on conservation of biodiversity a sound business intent. A lack of Planning (MEEDDAT). and sustainable use of biological business drive and business skills Readers, Key objectives of the study have resources. often results in activities that don’t included the identification of IUCN Do you think biodiversity generate enough profits to sustain Thus, biodiversity businesses will members’ experiences in developing conservation could be good themselves, and consequently fail on not replace traditional conservation businesses (in sectors such as for business? the conservation side. agriculture, tourism and medicinal The International Union for plants, for example) as part of their Biodiversity businesses are commercial enterprises Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has conservation programmes and that generate profits via activities which conserve been promoting this concept for some “ the assessment of members’ needs time, recognising that the solution to biodiversity, use biological resources sustainably, and (capacity building, marketing and the loss of biodiversity is to be found share the benefits arising from this use equitably. financial) to enhance the success of in a mix of measures that include their efforts. public policies and market-based programmes, but rather complement Our assumption has been” that if Through a desk review of instruments, amongst others. In the them by tapping into a growing certain business sectors are to be IUCN’s members’ activities and realm of market-based approaches, the demand for responsible products promoted as part of a biodiversity recommendations by IUCN’s ultimate instrument is the creation and services. Furthermore, conservation programme, the transfer Secretariat Membership Focal of markets that are able to reward biodiversity businesses could have of business skills becomes of Points, approximately 80 members products and services that enhance potentially positive outcomes in paramount importance to ensure that were identified as having developed biodiversity conservation and allow poverty reduction and community these businesses are successful. If they biodiversity businesses. Of the 63 the establishment of biodiversity empowerment in rural areas, as many fail as businesses, their conservation members contacted, 40 provided businesses in the process. of the products and services linked to objectives will not be achieved. Thus, input in the research. biodiversity businesses originate from there is clearly a gap that needs to be These biodiversity businesses, as rural areas and are based on small- explored in more detail in terms of The 22 stories published here depict defined by a 2008 IUCN report scale enterprises. identifying these capacity needs. only a few of the many great businesses entitled Building Biodiversity Business, we learned about throughout the are ‘commercial enterprises that So, if it is true that conservation Recognising that a key role of the research. Unfortunately, we can’t generate profits via activities which can be a good business, can we IUCN Secretariat is to support its publish them all. However, all input conserve biodiversity, use biological turn this around and claim that members in implementing their received has been captured in a resources sustainably, and share business can be good for biodiversity conservation programmes, IUCN’s separate report entitled Lessons learned the benefits arising from this use conservation? Business and Biodiversity Programme from building biodiversity businesses for equitably’. Biodiversity businesses has embarked on a survey of IUCN Conservation organisations conservation. include sustainable agriculture members’ experiences in developing traditionally have played an active practices, sustainable forestry, non- biodiversity businesses as part of All the interviews conducted have role in supporting the development timber forest products (NTFPs), their conservation programmes. The contributed to building a better of sustainable alternative livelihoods payments for watershed services, results of this study will help the understanding of the opportunities for communities when those biodiversity offsets, ecotourism and Secretariat to more effectively support and obstacles for creating biodiversity communities were engaged in others. In the report, the case was its members in this particular type of businesses as part of biodiversity unsustainable use of natural resources. made for biodiversity conservation conservation approach. The study, conservation strategies, and more Thus, they have already experimented to be considered as a viable business which began at the end of 2008, has 2 importantly to demonstrate that in developed and promoted through into The Economics of Ecosystems Building Biodiversity Business was the conservation world the creation enterprises created by conservation and Biodiversity (TEEB) study. In published by IUCN and Shell in 2008. Its of profit-making businesses can be a organisations have been commercially particular, we would like to develop main author, Joshua Bishop, is IUCN’s viable tool in the conservation tool successful thanks to the role played specific programmes that would Chief Economist. box. by a business partner. These partners help create commercial linkages See http://data.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/ have played different roles, from between the private sector and edocs/2008-002.pdf This publication is not intended co-financers to providers of technical IUCN members. Clearly this is not to provide an in-depth analysis support in developing product the solution for all conservation of the approaches adopted by specifications or marketing opportunities challenges. However, it could help conservation organisations. Rather, not only by directly creating market The International Union for Conservation of Nature incentives for conservation, but is a membership organisation that brings together also by creating a greater awareness “ amongst consumers about our more than 1,000 organisations