Guidance “EMAS and Biodiversity: How to address biodiversity protection through environmental management systems”

“EMAS and Biodiversity: How to address biodiversity protection through environmental management systems” is the title of a new publication on the sound management of biodiversity aspects within EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) and other management systems.

Businesses have direct and indirect effects on biodiversity. The new guidelines discuss both aspects and places emphasis on the avoidance and reduction of the negative effects on biological diversity, as well as on the measures to enhance their positive influences.

The guidance is designed to be process-oriented and provide information on the aims, measures and key data on biodiversity that are relevant to (almost) all business sectors. 

The Global Nature Fund (GNF) and the Lake Constance Foundation (LCF), both partners of the European Business and Biodiversity Campaign, have compiled the guidance with the support of the German Ministry for the Environment and the European Commission (Directorate General Environment and the Joint Research Centre).

The publication can be downloaded here.  

Author: Global Nature Fund (GNF) and the Lake Constance Foundation (LCF), January 2017

Positive Examples of Biodiversity Management

By end of December 2016, the following examples of biodiversity management have been compiled:

• Cafeology, coffee producer, United Kingdom
• Companhia das Lezíras, silviculture and nature tourism, Portugal
• HIPP, baby food producer, Germany
• Kneissler, bluing technology, Germany
• Meichle & Mohr, sand and gravel extraction, Germany
• Märkisches Landbrot, bakery chain, Germany
• Rheinsberger Preussenquelle, mineral water producer, Germany

The practical examples provide an insight regarding the biodiversityaspects that are of importance for the company, targets and measures included in the environmental management system and results and experiences so far.

In order to update and to compile more examples, it was decided not to include the positive examples directly into these guidelines, but to upload them as PDF-files on the EMAS Helpdesk.