Biodiversity
BIOROCK CORAL REEF RESTORATION
Coral reefs support rich biodiversity and are extremely important to the economies of nearby regions. But they face major threats from global warming and over-fishing. Radical innovation is needed to save them. The Biorock restoration technique creates structures which support the growth of coral fragments grafted to them. The technique is controversial. There’s a lack of peer-reviewed scientific studies to show its efficacy. However, assuming it can be replicated widely, it could make a huge contribution to coral reef restoration and the ability of reefs to adapt to rapidly changing ocean conditions in the 21st century.
Benefits: biodiversity & natural resources
Innovators: Biorock
FINANCING SYSTEM FOR SUSTAINABLE WATERSHED MANAGEMENT
Well managed watersheds purify water, regulate water flow, stop soil erosion and provide vital habitats for species. It’s crucial to keep watersheds healthy, so people and nature can continue to use the water that flows downstream from them. Ecuadorian water utility the Water and Sewage Metropolitan Enterprise is taking an innovative approach to protecting watersheds. Along with US charity The Nature Conservancy, it has set up the Fund for the Protection of Water to collect payments from downstream water users, including water utilities, hydropower providers, farmers using irrigation and brewers, and direct it to upstream watershed management. This is a promising model for watershed management.
Benefits: biodiversity and natural resources
Innovators: Fund for the Protection of Water, The Nature Conservancy
COSTA RICAN 'PAYMENTS FOR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES' PROGRAMME
Thirteen million hectares of forests were lost worldwide in the past ten years . An innovative solution to halt this is ‘payment for ecosystem services’ programmes, which financially reward landowners for preserving forests. In Costa Rica, private landowners are paid to maintain forest ecosystems which protect biodiversity, capture carbon, protect water sources and keep the landscape beautiful. Funds for the programme come mainly from a national fuel tax, and from local schemes where water utility companies and food and beverage firms pay for the water they use.
Benefits: biodiversity + natural resources
Innovators: The Costa Rican Ministry of the Environment and Energy
DRIP IRRIGATION FOR THE 'BOTTOM OF THE PYRAMID'
The UN predicts that two-thirds of the world’s population will live under water-stressed conditions in 2025. Drip irrigation can help cut water stress, bolster the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and improve food security. Farmers switching to drip irrigation from flood irrigation use 60% less water, increase their crop yields by a third, use less labour and fertiliser, and cut the energy they need to pump water, according to international water technology firm Driptech. Innovators including Driptech and IDEI, an Indian not-for-profit, have been distributing affordable, practical drip-irrigation technology to ‘bottom of the pyramid’ smallholder farmers.
Benefits: water efficiency, biodiversity & natural resources
Innovators: IDEI, Driptech
MIMICKING NATURE IN DESIGN
An increasingly popular process, known as biomimicry, is taking inspiration from nature’s genius to improve the way buildings and many products are designed. For example, the design of marine turbine blades was inspired by the shape of a humpback whale’s flipper. Nature offers billions of years of design ideas that can be replicated to solve human challenges.
AskNature has developed a comprehensive, free online database of biomimicry ideas for designers and engineers. It also provides advice to encourage the application of sustainability principles throughout the life-cycle of any product or project.
Benefits: biodiversity; carbon reduction, water efficiency, energy generation
Innovators: AskNature; Biomimicry Institute
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WORLD'S FIRST ENVIRONMENTAL PROFIT AND LOSS RESULTS
Puma has become the world's first major corporation to publish details of the cost of its impact on the environment. It has calculated that the combined cost of the carbon it emitted and water it used in 2010 was 94.4m euros ($134.3m; £82.8m). The figure includes the company itself and its suppliers.
The organisation wanted to find tangible ways it can consider nature and environmental impacts in their decision making and inform them to create a more resilient and sustainable business model. Since ecosystem services are vital to the performance of most companies, integrating the true cost for these services in the future could have significant impacts on corporate bottom lines.
Read more
Benefits: carbon reduction, water efficiency
Innovators: Puma
ENVIRONMENTAL SENSOR NETWORKS
Networks of cheap micro-sensors – mini-computers that collect high resolution, real-time data – could transform the way we monitor and manage our impact on the natural environment. One project in the Australian rainforest is using solar-powered sensors to measure variables such as temperature and moisture, and analysing audio and video to estimate species numbers.
Possible benefits include better ecosystem health monitoring for critically endangered habitats, and more accurate resource management for fisheries, forest carbon, watersheds and aquifers. Environmental sensor networks are also being used in adaptive buildings that automatically respond to changes in temperature and weather to manage heating, cooling and lighting.
Benefits: biodiversity; energy efficiency
Innovators: HP
MEASURING ECOSYSTEM RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES
Businesses gain many benefits from nature – from raw materials like timber and fibre, to essential services like clean water and a healthy climate. But most businesses view these ecosystem services as externalities. Even when they’re aware of the pressures these resources are under, they don’t have the tools to measure and manage ecosystem benefits and risks.
That’s where the Guide to Corporate Ecosystem Valuation (CEV) comes in. The first of its kind framework helps businesses link ecosystem opportunities and risks to their core operations, supply chain and financial bottom line. It helps to place a cost on their environmental impacts and improve the way they manage their activities as a result.
It is hoped this will begin a wave of more tools to help businesses to better measure and manage their biodiversity impacts.
Innovators: WBCSD, ERM, PWC, IUCN
BIOREMEDIATION WATER TREATMENT
Bioremediation is the process of introducing friendly bacteria to treat polluted water. It can also be used anywhere where water is polluted by eutrophication – where a water body has high concentration of plant nutrients, which encourages excessive algae growth.
WWF has also used this simple and low cost technique in the River Ganges in India, where a small town in Kapur releases over 450m litres of untreated sewage into the river a day. The bacteria was added into the drainage system to clean the water, helping to conserve the river's health for the local people who depend on it for their livelihoods.
Benefits: biodiversity
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ZERO-PACKAGING AND WASTE SHOP
Each person in the EU generates a massive 176kg of packaging waste a year . Many companies worldwide are taking action to minimise packaging. But food and drink shop In.gredients is taking things a step further: getting rid of it all together. In.gredients will soon open in Austin, Texas. It will only sell in season produce, by weight and without packaging. Customers will bring in their own containers or compostable containers will be available to buy. If consumers can adapt to the zero-packaging model, and retailers can innovate around potential obstacles such as hygiene, zero-packaging retail could be a significant step towards reducing waste and saving energy.
Listen to an interview
Benefits: reduce, reuse, recycle, biodiversity and natural resources
Innovators: In.gredients; Beunpackaged
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A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT? THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT...
Creek Watch is a new iPhone application that enables people to help monitor the health of their local waterways. Whenever they pass by waterways they can take a picture and report what they see, from how fast the water is flowing, to how much rubbish is present. Creek Watch collects the data and shares it with water control boards to help them track pollution, manage water resources and plan environmental programmes.
Mobile technology is increasingly being used to mobilise the public to monitor their local environment. French organisation Montre Verte recruits citizens to monitor the air quality around Paris, while the Urban Forest Map allows people to map the trees of San Francisco.
See how it works
Benefits: biodiversity
Innovators: IBM Research, Living Environments Lab, California State Water Control Board.
PLANT-BASED PLASTICS
Most people associate oil with petrol that fills our cars, but it’s also a major component in everyday materials – such as plastics used for packaging, furniture and consumer goods. By using polymers based on natural and renewable resources such as plants, it has the potential to significantly game-change how plastic - based products are made today. Not only do they offer a more environmentally friendly option at manufacture, they also can be biodegradable.
Emerging policies to reduce demand of oil-based products and decreasing supplies will force a rethink of entire value chains in the petro-chemicals industry.
Benefits: carbon reduction, biodiversity
Innovators: Amyris , Natureworks, Reluceo
WASTEWATER TREATMENT WETLANDS
Natural wetlands cleanse our water, restore soil ecology and create a habitat for wildlife. Many companies are developing water management systems to treat water for pollutants based on natural wetlands – saving water and energy compared to conventional systems. American company Natural Systems Utilities (NSU) creates water management systems modelled on wetlands, which optimise reuse of water, energy and nutrients and can create habitat for wetland wildlife. NSU estimate that their water infrastructure systems use up to 50% less water and emit up to 2.5 times less carbon than conventional systems.
Benefits: biodiversity & natural resources
Innovators: Natural Systems Utilities
OPEN SHARING OF PATENTS
The rubber used in Nike’s footwear uses 98% less toxins than traditional methods. Yet, it doesn’t have to be just Nike that benefits from this innovative approach. Its intellectual property can be shared to other markets where the rubber can be used for bicycle inner tubes for example, helping others to bring greener products and business models to market.
Greenxchange is a web-based marketplace where companies can collaborate and share intellectual property (IP) which can lead to new sustainability business models and encourage open innovation.
Benefits: reduce, reuse, recycle, energy efficiency, water efficiency, carbon reduction
Innovators: Greenxchange
CAPTURING CARBON WITH FROG FOAM
The foam nest created by a tungara frog appears to be nature’s most efficient way of harnessing the sun’s energy. Inspired by this discovery, engineers have mimicked the way the foam functions. They’ve created ‘artificial photosynthetic foam‘, injected with frog enzymes. Using the power of the sun, the foam captures and converts carbon dioxide (CO2) into oxygen and sugar.
This process captures more CO2 than natural photosynthesis, and it doesn’t rely on natural resources such as soil and water. It’s currently being tested for large-scale applications in urban areas and pollution from manufacturing plants. The sugar it produces can be used to make biofuel.
Benefits: carbon reduction; energy generation; biodiversity
Innovators: David Wendell
CROWD-SOURCING INVESTMENT FOR ENTREPRENEURS
Want to invest in a green business idea? Social investment company 33needs is helping the public support social enterprise, bring eco-friendly products and services to market and make a return on their investment. When enough people support an idea, even small amounts can make a big difference.
The 33needs.com website features profiles of social entrepreneurs, showing the projects they need funding for and the amount they hope to raise. Investors can pledge as little as $10 to support a project, and they’ll receive a fixed share of any future profits. If projects don’t reach their fundraising targets within a fixed timeframe, no money changes hands.
The site already has 700 enterprises keen to be involved since its launch in February 2011.
Discover how 33needs works
Benefits: biodiversity, carbon reduction, energy efficiency, reduce, reuse, recycle, water efficiency
Innovators: 33needs
CO-MANAGED ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Protecting and restoring natural ecosystems while creating income and local jobs is a challenge for the governments of many developing countries. But it is possible, if the Rwandan government’s experience is anything to go by. The Rwanda Environment Management Authority has restored and protected mountain gorilla habitat in the Virungas National Park, leading to nature tourism revenue of $3 million per year since 2005. This has also created jobs managing the park and providing tourism services. Developing countries could follow this example, creating income and jobs through nature tourism enterprises and sustainable harvesting of natural resources.
Benefits: biodiversity & natural resources
Innovators: Rwanda Environment Management Authority
EVERGREEN AGRICULTURE
The world will need to produce twice as much food by 2050 to feed its expected population . Innovative approaches like evergreen agriculture can help make sure everyone has enough to eat, restoring soil fertility and increasing yields. Evergreen agriculture involves using ‘fertiliser trees’ in food crop production. Trees like the acacia Faidherbia albida shed nitrogen-rich leaves during the early rainy season, fertilising crops without overshadowing them during the growing season. In Niger there are already over 48,000 sq km of Faidherbia forests fertilising millet and sorghum.
Innovators: Evergreen agriculture
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