Story | 12 Jan, 2017

The road to biodiversity and ecosystem service management

All forms of industrial growth are dependent on one or more ecosystem services. They can also simultaneously negatively impact the ability of ecosystems to provide these services. Businesses therefore, cannot afford to ignore their dependence, direct or indirect, and impact on these services. In recognition of this, IUCN and CGPL, Coastal Gujarat Power Limited (a Tata Power subsidiary), organised a workshop on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Management on 14 and 15 December 2016 at the CGPL plant in Mundra, Kachchh, Gujarat. The focus of the workshop was to foster understanding of biodiversity and ecosystem services.

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Photo: IUCN/CGPL

CGPL has been actively partnering with nationally reputed organisations on strategic biodiversity conservation interventions in Kachchh. Participating in the workshop were 30 representatives from Tata companies with a presence in Gujarat.

Workshop sessions blended scientific knowledge and participatory exercises to create a comprehensive awareness-generating platform for participants. Key technical sessions included: Global and national perspectives on business and biodiversity-related issues; biodiversity of Gujarat; biodiversity-related challenges and opportunities; initiatives implemented by CGPL and Tata Power toward biodiversity conservation; and participatory exercises to identify priority ecosystem services for the CGPL plant.

IUCN and CGPL are committed to furthering the conservation agenda in Gujarat in a comprehensive and scientifically rigorous manner. Involving other Tata group companies from Gujarat is a strategic move towards achieving this goal. The road ahead is long but the journey has had a promising start.