“Ideas are easy, execution is hard” – a front-line business leader’s view on getting expert input and avoiding nature-washing.

by Matt Baber, Director at Alliance Ecology

Fiona MacMillan  
As someone who sees how the public and private sector are both working together (or not) in New Zealand, what would you like to see those players doing more of together, to assist with our goals for protecting and restoring nature in Aotearoa?

Matt Baber  
Aotearoa’s environmental future hinges on strong collaboration between the public and private sectors. However, when it comes to the link between policy and implementation there needs to be better co-ordination across public and private sectors. Too often policy runs interference on good environmental outcomes because the right people aren’t in the room from the get-go. In particular, including expertise from practitioners experienced in implementing environmental policies and programmes from the outset is crucial. Ideas are easy – execution is hard.

Fiona MacMillan  
With a huge focus on an export led recovery now in New Zealand, how do we address the current state of natural capital to be resilient as a nation?

Matt Baber  
That is not an easy question to answer. Government and business leads must better understand the importance of natural capital, the risks to our brand in neglecting environmental sustainability and the potential opportunities that arise. Obviously  how these matters are addressed needs to be carefully considered for each business, acknowledging viability and competitiveness. That said, if businesses are externalising all the impacts and costs they have on the environment, and not building those into their business models, true sustainability will always remain elusive and this may pose a risk to business viability in the long-term.

Fiona MacMillan  
What's your worst case scenario, Matt?  What keeps you up at night when it comes to thinking about Aotearoa and climate and nature?

Matt Baber  
As an ecologist it’s Aotearoa’s nature crisis. I see first-hand the scale and pace of impacts caused by unsustainable land use and invasive species. Up until recently, I have been less concerned with potential adverse effects that are managed under various regulatory policies and statutes. However, recent changes have made these policy concerns more significant.  Most concerning for me is the ‘death by a thousand cuts’ scenario – the cumulative impacts associated with smaller scale activities alongside invasive species impacts. On a positive note that I do think businesses can play a key role in helping address these issues.

Fiona MacMillan  
Thinking about nature is becoming more critical and business has a vital role to play, because of the impacts it has.  How do we help our leaders to do that?
Matt Baber  
Good question.  Again, business leaders need to first understand the importance of natural capital and related risk and opportunities in their sectors. The next step is to take action that works towards tangible net positive outcomes.

To that end, businesses can track down existing or proposed projects that resonate with their brand and environmental aspirations.  There are many environmental groups making significant contributions towards the restoration of our natural capital, but they’re often limited by funding and capacity. This creates exciting partnership opportunities. We just need to do better as a country at match-making! That is, helping businesses link with projects which align with their brand and impacts, to explore mutually beneficial opportunities.

The solution lies in joining the dots to forge those powerful partnerships which benefit nature.  An agricultural business may partner with community groups involved in riparian planting initiatives to improve water quality and ecological integrity, for example. Likewise a seafood company could support marine conservation efforts such as the establishment of a marine reserve or applied research on strobe-lighting to minimise seabird mortality linked to long-lining.  Every successful partnership then becomes a powerful nature story – a win for business and the environment.

Many businesses are on a sustainability journey and genuinely want to do the right thing. That said, business leaders must always be aware of the risks and consequences of ‘nature washing’. Validating and backing up nature positive claims is crucial, especially since they’re inherently more complex than climate-related claims. To manage this risk, seeking input from experienced and qualified practitioners is key. These experts can be found in organisations such as Beca, Tonkin + Taylor, Boffa Miskell or specialist environmental consultancies like Nature Positive.