Top Tips for Strategic Corporate Conservation

There are many reasons not to engage in meaningful conservation action on corporate lands. There are also many reasons to do so.

The obstacles to conservation action lie in the fact that business must be efficient, safe and in compliance with regulations. Many businesses operate on small margins with not enough staff and no budget for non-essential activities. Many businesses find themselves in an ongoing race to create annual plans, report on quarterly goals and meet monthly targets. Additionally, businesses across all sectors can be in a state of disruption at any time due to operational changes in process or technology, corporate changes from mergers or divestments and global changes from politicians and trade wars. For these reasons and more, mainstreaming conservation into corporate operations can be challenging.

Regardless of the obstacles or challenges, the reasons for conservation action are myriad but boil down to one simple but important story: Our natural world is suffering. Many forces including a changing climate are causing species' environments to become less habitable, unconsidered land-use patterns are destroying and fragmenting habitat, invasive species are crowding out native species, and many other climate-related and man-made forces are causing previously balanced systems to move out of kilter.

We all need to take action to mitigate the impacts on nature and the private sector is no exception. Businesses, with their vast landholdings and resources, have a critical role to play in conservation and biodiversity. Businesses can take action on their lands that contain its operations, offices and infrastructure.

To take action in a meaningful and sustainable way and to overcome the obstacles for inaction consider the following:

1. Know Why.

For conservation action that improves nature to become truly mainstreamed into corporate lands management it must be done for a business reason - to address a challenge, grasp an opportunity or meet a management, operational or corporate need. There are 16 common business drivers that can be addressed through conservation. These drivers range from securing social license to operate to advancing STEM education, providing a KPI for corporate reporting or enhancing employee engagement. For corporate conservation efforts to be strategic and sustainable, the reason must be identified.

2. Acknowledge Differences.

Across any company, each operations area will have different opportunities for conservation action. A quarry with a large land area and a dedicated budget for reclamation will have many more opportunities to engage in conservation than a production facility. By understanding that a diversity of opportunities exist and that all lands have potential for positive outcomes for nature, a corporate conservation strategy can be built that is inclusive and adaptable to all operations, budgets and lands.

3. Alignments Matter.

Conservation action across geographies are stronger when they align with the context of their locations. The alignments can be to existing conservation plans like State Wildlife Action Plans or local watershed plans. These plans will inform conservation goals and actions and ensure that the operation is undertaking ecological stewardship or restoration efforts that are locally appropriate, meaningful and with a high likelihood of being successful. The alignments can also be to social or cultural needs especially in urban areas where conservation action can connect into the community or to culturally significant populations.

4. Recognize Effort.

Many of the best conservation programs are done through voluntary actions by teams of dedicated employees and community partners. Recognizing these efforts will sustain them through budget cycles, economic downturns and corporate disruptions. Recognizing the efforts will also create a contagion that will spread conservation action across the company's lands. Recognition can be internal, through company newsletters or websites or external through certifications, press releases or corporate reporting. Recognition provides the company with a single metric from multiple locations and a simple way to tell the story of its conservation action.

5. Understand Disruptions:

Corporate disruptions (mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations, economic downturns) happen with increasing frequency. Understand that a disruption is not necessarily the death knell for conservation action and that continued support for the program can help during these challenging times. Reduced financial support for such efforts may be necessary but increasing other resources like time or access to community partnerships can protect the program and have a positive impact on employee morale. Conservation programs can also be simple and effective post-merger integration tools, bringing a culture of nature-based action to newly acquired businesses or newly created business units.

With limited government funding available for conservation and increasing competition for grant support, corporate efforts can fill a growing need for environmental stewardship while also providing business benefits. WHC President Margaret O’Gorman’s book, Strategic Corporate Conservation Planning, offers fresh insights for both corporations and environmental groups alike looking to create mutually beneficial partnerships that use conservation action to address business challenges and realize meaningful environmental outcomes.