In this three part series, we delve into why now is the time for New Zealand businesses to invest in nature.
By Louise Saunders, Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trust CEO
Let's recap
Global data shows that human activity is exceeding planetary boundaries faster than expected, climate change and nature loss are inextricably linked, and nature loss and disruption of ecosystem services are rapidly approaching a point of catastrophic loss. Read more in part one.
The impact on people, communities and economies is already being felt. As a result, there are global moves to impose trade, supply chain and regulatory mechanisms for driving investment in nature to help reverse nature loss and buffer climate change effects. Read more in part two.
While the outlook might appear bleak, we have every reason to be hopeful and encouraged. Investment in nature has a high chance of success. .
Action to regenerate nature is effective.
Conservation is a win-win-win activity with proven benefits for nature, people and economy.
An investment in nature restoration will make a meaningful difference.
Outsource to experts
Although business operations can deal with sustainability matters like renewable energy, waste management and carbon emissions, businesses are less likely to have the expertise or capacity to ‘do’ nature restoration.
That's where investing in nature comes into play. It allows you to outsource to experts.
In Aotearoa NZ you have the good fortune to be located in a biodiversity hotspot with a proven track record of innovative, highly effective restoration action and highly regarded conservation experts.
When considering an investment in nature, it's important to select the right project and financial mechanism that aligns with your business needs and values, and there there’s a few considerations:
What kind of investment are you offering?
Understanding the nature of your investment is important. Will it be financial? And if financial, how much will you invest and how often? Or are you wanting to offer in-kind support or volunteering hours? What will benefit the project and your business the most?
What is your business model, and how does nature fit in?
Breweries might want to invest in a waterway restoration project to help secure clean water for future brews. A bicycle retailer may choose a replanting project in a popular mountain bike area to demonstrate environmental commitment to customers. Staff might be seeking a stronger sense of purpose through volunteering and perhaps this could incorporate a team building element. A business might want to support mana whenua or local conservation efforts as a way to give back within their local community. Achieving alignment between your business and the investment recipient will build a successful relationship.
What type of project are you looking for?
It’s important to consider whether the investment is better suited to a volunteer project or projects with paid staff. If you’re offering volunteer time, that can impose costs on the project to host, resource and keep your staff safe, so an associated donation might be appropriate. If you want to support paid staff, a longer term regular investment will help ensure that. Understanding the needs of the nature project will increase the impact of your investment.
How will you measure the impact of the investment?
Like any investment, being able to measure and report on its impact or return is key. You should partner with a project whose documentation and impact data (ideally verified by a third party) matches your needs. Not every investing business will need highly technical monitoring data; most will be satisfied with area replanted, area maintained, and numbers of pests removed. If your data requirements are more detailed, communicate that to projects early to ensure your expectations can be met as this can be a big time commitment and not realistic for smaller and volunteer-led projects. .
Measuring impact
When making an investment, measuring the “return on investment” is important. When investing in nature, the “return” is the impact of the investment. During an SME webinar on ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) reporting, I was disappointed to hear the presenter say “we aren’t going to get into measures for biodiversity, it’s too woolly”.
I can assure you that the impact metrics for biodiversity and conservation are not woolly, fuzzy or grey!
Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trust and the Kaimai Mamaku Restoration Project use a suite of well understood monitoring methods and metrics that provide black and white indicators of success and impact.
Measuring impact
The graphic above shows results for a project controlling rats to protect a kōkako population. Science tells us that kōkako need <5% rat detection prior to nesting to ensure breeding success.
The results show rat detections before (13%) and after (2%) the rat control (toxin) operation, so it was considered a success.
Many restoration projects now operate to a highly professional standard, undertaking their work with near-surgical precision, refining their methods and targeting pests with increasing efficiency. The project teams know what to monitor and when, what their goal is, and what to change when the data shows they aren’t achieving the results they want. This is not woolly! These are quality KPIs demonstrating the impact of your investment.
The technology and innovation supporting this work is incredible, and Aotearoa leads the world in many of the key developments using DNA sequencing, species specific toxins, AI traps, bio-controls, animal behaviour, and sheer bloody-minded determination.
When you invest in nature restoration, you invest in people who are passionate, dedicated, and experts in their field.
Top tips and next steps
You aren't an expert in biodiversity and restoration, and you don't have to be. You're investing in experts. Having a rat trap in your backyard is not the same as managing hundreds or thousands of hectares of trapping network! Pulling out one moth plant is not the same as controlling hundreds of hectares of tradescantia and wild ginger.
Be clear about what data you need from a restoration project that will show your investment produced a verifiable outcome. And don’t confuse “needs” with “wants”.
Remember that nature is complicated. It will be possible to document the restoration activities but showing a direct relationship with biodiversity gains (e.g. increased populations of a threatened species) might take years to show in survey data.
Understand that as the scale of activity increases, over time the trends will start to head in the right direction and the pace of improvement will increase. And the international science of restoration demonstrates, without doubt, that biodiversity action works. But, just like investing in shares or property, it can take time and there will be hiccups along the way. You need to take a medium to long term view.
The main thing you need to decide is where and how much to invest, and then work on understanding the value that investment brings to your business, your brand and your people.
Ready to invest?
Let's chat: Louise.Saunders@mkm.org.nz
MKMT with Ōtanewainuku Kiwi Trust and Zespri.
