When we think of passing Thanksgiving traditions on to our children, it’s not just the recipe for stuffing and the tradition of togetherness, we also usually envision turkey as the centerpiece of the meal. Yet 99% of turkeys in the U.S. food supply come from one breed — the “Broadbreasted White,” famous for its large white breast meat.  While high yielding, this breed isn’t able to reproduce naturally and must rely on artificial insemination — without human assistance the breed wouldn’t survive. 

​This leaves only 1% of the remaining turkeys to reproduce naturally and sustain the biodiversity of this Thanksgiving staple.  This extreme lack of biodiversity serves as a reminder - our traditions, our way of life, and our businesses are at risk when we reduce or destroy biodiversity. 

Biodiversity is the natural and vast array of plants, animals, insects, and other life on earth that sustain each other while also performing vital functions such as creating soil, purifying water, pollinating plants, building forests, and others.  Biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides are critical to business.  Product manufacturers depend on these natural resources as product or process inputs.  Pharmaceutical companies look to nature for sources of and inspiration for the next product.  Hotels and tourism rely on these natural resources as attractions to their destinations.  Yet, due to impacts to the environment, the UN Millennium Ecosystem Assessment found that more than 60% of ecosystem services are being degraded or used faster than they can be replenished.

How can a company address biodiversity? 

1. • The first step is to begin understanding where the company impacts and depends on natural resources, ecosystem services, and biodiversity.  Think about the different phases of the product (or company service) life cycle and where they interact or use nature and its biodiversity. 
   • Identify which of the impacts and interactions are the largest sources of damage or at greatest risk.  
   • The next step is to develop an action plan that addresses the leading areas of concern and moves to include a broader approach. 
   • This process can lead to the identification of valuable opportunities such as efficient processes, new producers, and more sustainable products. 

While biodiversity is often considered hard to understand, the process described above is straightforward.  So, take this Thanksgiving and its traditional food, turkey, as a call to action – begin paying attention to biodiversity in your business.

For more information on business and biodiversity, see the Convention on Biological Diversity 

Photo courtesy of Dwight Sipler