Protecting natural capital and biodiversity in the agri-food sector

Contributions by Prof Jill Atkins, Dr John Peirce, Dr Yvette Lange, Prof Warren Maroun, Dr Wayne van Zijl, Dr Dusan Ecim, Ms Mira Lieberman, Dr Jӧel Houdet, Dr Kristina Jonäll, Prof Hannu Schadewitz, Prof Gunnar Rimmel, Dr Maizatulakma Abdullah, Dr Federica Doni, Dr Antonio Corvino, Dr Silvio Bianchi Martini, Ms Martina Macpherson, Dr Elisabetta A. V. Barone, Dr Noa Simón Delso, Mr Walter Haefeker, Dr Scott Longing, Dr Brendan Kelly Edited by Prof Jill Atkins

Publication date:

30 January 2024

Length of book:

390 pages

Publisher

Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing

Dimensions:

229x152mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9781801463515

Natural capital accounting provides techniques to value natural resources and the ecosystem services they deliver. These techniques are being increasingly used by governments, banks and other financial institutions to set conservation priorities, make ecologically-based investment decisions, and to improve the impact of agri-food businesses on the natural world.

Protecting natural capital and biodiversity in the agri-food sector provides a comprehensive overview of how key actors in the agri-food supply chain account for their impacts on natural capital. The book explores recent advances in the accounting and reporting frameworks to measure these impacts, as well as how natural capital and biodiversity can be identified and protected in a variety of agri-food sectors such as dairy production, palm oil production and winemaking.

The book showcases how the agri-food sector can better value and protect ecosystem services and reverse the depletion of natural capital and biodiversity.

1. Protecting natural capital and biodiversity in agricultural supply chains: introduction: Jill Atkins and John Peirce, Cardiff Business School – Cardiff University, UK;

Part 1 The impact of agriculture on natural capital and biodiversity: international case studies

2. Factoring biodiversity into the agri-food sector: international best practices and experiences from South Africa: Yvette Lange and Warren Maroun, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa;
3. Avocado cultivation and biodiversity challenges: Yvette Lange and Warren Maroun, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa;
4. The circular economy and sustainable soybean farming in Brazil: an integrated approach: Wayne van Zijl, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa;
5. Biodiversity considerations in the marine aquaculture and fisheries industries: Dusan Ecim and Warren Maroun, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa;
6. Assessing the impact of pesticides on natural capital and biodiversity: Mira Lieberman, University of Sheffield, UK;

Part 2 Protecting biodiversity and natural capital in agri-food supply chains: the role of accounting and finance

7. Advances in corporate natural capital accounting: Joël Houdet, The Biodiversity Footprint Company and University of Pretoria, South Africa;
8. Natural capital and biodiversity accounting in the Swedish agri-food sector: Kristina Jonäll, University of Gothenburg, Sweden;
9. Biodiversity reporting in the fast-food industry: Dusan Ecim and Warren Maroun, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa;
10. Natural capital and biodiversity accounting in the dairy industry: the case of Valio Group: Hannu Schadewitz, Turku School of Economics at the University of Turku, Finland;
11. Natural capital and biodiversity accounting in palm-oil production: Gunnar Rimmel, Aalborg University Business School, Denmark; and Maizatulakma Abdullah, The National University of Malaysia, Malaysia;
12. Natural capital accounting and biodiversity in the Italian winemaking industry: Federica Doni, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy; Antonio Corvino, University of Foggia, Italy; and Silvio Bianchi Martini, University of Pisa, Italy;
13. The role of global investors in protecting natural capital and delivering ecosystem services within agriculture, food and other land use value chains: Martina Macpherson, Henley Business School, UK/University of Zurich, Switzerland/Future of Sustainable Data Alliance, UK/All-Party-Parliamentary-Group (APPG) on ESG – Houses of Parliament, UK;
14. Exploring corporate weather accounting by the UK food retail industry: Elisabetta A. V. Barone, Northeastern University London and University of Galway, UK; Jill Atkins, Cardiff Business School – Cardiff University, UK; and Warren Maroun, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa;

Part 3 Protecting pollinators and insect biodiversity in agri-food supply chains

15. Using data to assess the impact of agriculture on pollinators and pollinator services: Noa Simón Delso, BeeLife European Beekeeping Coordination, Belgium; and Walter Haefeker, European Professional Beekeepers Association, Germany;
16. Developing and implementing plans to conserve insect biodiversity in agricultural landscapes: Scott Longing, Texas Tech University, USA; and Brendan Kelly, Texas Tech University/ Texas A&M AgriLife Research, USA;

“Protecting natural capital and biodiversity in the agri-food sector is a welcome addition to the Burleigh Dodds’ collection of volumes on sustainable agriculture. The general effects of both the extensive and intensive growth of agriculture on biodiversity are reasonably well known, but this volume offers a deeper dive into the biodiversity impacts of specific technologies in particular places, along with the accounting protocols by which those impacts may be measured. Professor Atkins has assembled a team of authors from Europe, South Africa, and the USA whose expertise spans the science, accounting, and governance of the biodiversity impacts of the agri-food sector. Their contributions are likely to be of especial interest to practitioners in that sector.” (Professor Emeritus Charles Perrings, Arizona State University, USA)