CBD COP11, Rio Conventions TV (20/10/2012): James Griffiths, Managing Director: Ecosystems, Forest Solutions and Water at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

Business urgently needs a place at the table during UN environmental talks, according to James Griffiths from the WBCSD.

“The COP is for the Parties…but as the CBD starts to use the Aichi Targets as an implementation tool you need to include stakeholder groups who are going to be a major part of that implementation process – if you’re going to be successful” he says.

“That means NGOs, scientists and it also means business. Business has impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity, we’re a major beneficiary, we’re dependent on them and companies once they start appreciating that realise they have a role to play.

“My advice would be, as the CBD gets into implementation mode, a space is created for the business sector, the progressive business sector that gets it, either reducing their impacts or innovating to bring biodiversity friendly products onto the market.

“One thing the business sector is good at doing is managing financial capital – we don’t always get it right – but it’s about mobilising resources to get good services and technologies to people as consumers.”