Standards and Biodiversity

Author: Jason Potts, Vivek Voora, Matthew Lynch, and Aynur Mammadova

Sustainable agriculture practices must be widely implemented in order to stem an alarming loss of biodiversity and to protect endangered species.

This is according to our SSI Review: Standards and Biodiversity, examining the intersection between voluntary sustainability standards and the conservation of biodiversity.

The study identified several opportunities to leverage the impact of voluntary sustainability standards to prevent and slow biodiversity losses.

There is a clear rationale for policy-makers to support the evolution of voluntary sustainability standards in ways that can help ensure that they play a constructive role in meeting biodiversity targets. Voluntary sustainability standards offer an opportunity to reduce the biodiversity impacts of agriculture while promoting best practices, which can also improve yields and help feed a growing population.

This report was published in 2017 with data inclusive from 2008 to 2014.