Contributions of the Corporate Sector to Sustainable Development
Biological diversity, defined as the variety and variability within species, between species and ecosystems, is crucial to poverty alleviation and sustainable development. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) recognises that biological diversity i
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Contributions of the Corporate Sector to Sustainable Development Ramakrishna Arkalgud
Abstract Biological diversity, defined as the variety and variability within species, between species and ecosystems, is crucial to poverty alleviation and sustainable development. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) recognises that biological diversity is about more than plants, animals and microorganisms and their ecosystems – it is about people and our need for food security, medicines, fresh air and water, shelter and a clean and healthy environment in which to live. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is viewed as an umbrella concept, which includes corporate citizenship, corporate sustainability, stakeholder management, environmental management, business ethics and corporate social performance. The chapter deals with case studies of Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) in different aspects from research to commercialisation and the contributions of corporate sector to biodiversity conservation, sustainable use and fair and equitable sharing of benefits. The contributions of corporate sector in India for promoting sustainable development and livelihood are presented. Keywords Corporate social responsibility • Corporate sustainability Bioprospecting • Floriculture • Traditional knowledge digital library
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Introduction
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is a legally binding multilateral environmental agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of all components of biodiversity, including genetic resources, species and ecosystems. The CBD defines biodiversity conservation and sustainable use in their specific socioenvironmental context. Its provisions apply to signatory parties, rather than to individual economic actors, which are themselves subordinate to national laws and international codes. The CBD recognises the dependence of traditional populations R. Arkalgud (*) Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, India e-mail: [email protected] © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2017 K.P. Laladhas et al. (eds.), Biodiversity for Sustainable Development, Environmental Challenges and Solutions 3, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-42162-9_3
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and local communities on biological resources, providing that parties assure traditional knowledge and conservation practices be protected and applied more widely, conditioned on informed consent and equitable sharing of benefits (Article 8 (j)). The work programme for the implementation of Article 8 (j) stressed the need ‘to ensure the full and effective participation of indigenous and local communities at all stages and levels of its implementation, and called for mechanisms and guidelines to promote effective participation of such communities in decision-making (Decision V/16)’. Article 10 (e) of the CBD also encourages cooperation between government and the private sector in developing methods for sustainable use. Other articles of CBD are related to societal involvement, impact assessment, incentive measures and financial mechanisms, all of
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