SYMP 24-6
The business community and the urban ecosystem: First steps into a promising relationship?
In an urbanizing world, city actors are to be considered key players when addressing earth stewardship. Local authorities and citizens are generally recognized as (potential) contributors to conservation and sustainability in cities. Corporations however seems a less obvious city actor group in this respect. Although they play a crucial role in urban land development and are the principal users of business districts and industrial areas, so far their engagement in the design and management of urban ecosystems is minimal. How could businesses take a leadership role here, linked with their unique corporate strengths?
Between 2007-2014 Alterra - being a Dutch applied research institute in (socio)ecological science - was involved in a number of initiatives in which corporations explored their role in urban ecosystem stewardship. The corporations included major players in the real estate development, logistics, food & beverage, high tech and leisure industry. Their initiatives fall into sustainable building/urban development practices and corporate site management. Through its actual involvement Alterra was given the chance to learn more about the motives and tactics, risks and opportunities, and modus operandi of companies dealing with urban ecosystem stewardship. Corporate staff on this topic ranged from CEOs, sustainability and facility managers to executive staff in site management and landscaping. For each, we identified their roles in and perspectives on the stewardship issue. Also, we analysed the role of (non)governmental organizations that often accompanied companies in these initiatives. Finally, we compared planning/design/maintenance options that may optimally support biodiversity with the options as actually chosen by the corporations, and searched explanations for any differences.
Results/Conclusions
We see an overall increase in environmental awareness among businesses. We also note that only by linking stewardship motives to improved business operations, urban ecosystems get the corporate’s attention. Conservation legislation thereby is more a problem than a solution. The stewardship initiatives that we were involved in, recently started to deliver first results. The companies’ contribution to urban ecosystem functioning appeared to be more than only the direct output from their CSR actions. As a rather novel phenomenon, corporate engagement brings new dynamics in the urban ecosystem stewardship debate. Local governments, environmental NGOs and other corporations seek to join these initiatives, probably as the frontrunner corporations we followed are associated with economic leadership and power. We therefore conclude that companies may act as unexpected catalysts for the up scaling of urban stewardship actions, a role further to be explored.