Reinforcing Corporate Commitment to Preserving Biodiversity

Biodiversity is a combination of all kinds of life forms on the surface of the earth, including algae, fungi, and microbes. For every life form to sustain itself comfortably in the environment, it needs to balance its existence with the rest of the organisms as well as the environment. Only then will the world be a better place to exist.

Continued loss of biodiversity has become a great concern and requires urgent cooperation and participation of multiple stakeholders, primarily the corporates. Rapid industrialization and development models have vastly impacted the envelope of life around biodiversity. In the past few years, countries around the world are focused on infrastructure development. These rapid development activities have caused harm to biodiversity.

The world is developing into a more and more comfortable place for human beings, but at the same time, it is getting tougher for other living organisms to sustain. Responsible citizens and corporates celebrated Environment Day 2021 to raise awareness about the various rising issues on the planet that have harmful effects and to discuss CSR initiatives to make the world a better place to live in.

Considering India’s diverse nature, many life forms are at risk due to rapid urbanization and development activities; hence prioritizing and preserving biodiversity is the need of the hour. Corporates can play a crucial part in developing our biodiversity through their CSR activities. Each business can contribute in its own way towards preserving biodiversity.

In order to achieve sustainable development, companies must consider redesigning, upgrading, and adopting new technologies in the manufacturing process. It is critical for companies to improve processes and produce products that would preserve the ecosystem and contribute towards a greener economy.

Efficiency plays a significant role in many businesses. Moving towards a paperless environment can be a small yet vital step towards a healthy ecology. The onus to safeguard biodiversity is on each of us, as we are a significant part of the ecosystem. We should ensure all stakeholders work hand-in-hand towards attaining it.

To enhance biodiversity in India, The Himalaya Drug Company has undertaken several CSR initiatives for the protection of our ecosystem. Since 2012, we have planted over half a million trees across the Western Ghats, Meghalaya, the Eastern Ghats, and Bengaluru. We’ve also hosted field visits for the first 3-4 years, following which the gram panchayat bodies took care of the trees. Himalaya also worked on building eco villages in order to generate sustainable farming or secondary livelihood options. Two tribal communities, Mawphlang and Dajipur, were studied and then trained for beekeeping and vermicomposting activities.

The theme for Earth Day this year was “Restore our Earth”. Restoring plants and forests contributes to higher levels of biodiversity. Trees provide different soil nutrients, shadow for smaller plants that need it, and increase the groundwater level, all of which help medicinal plants and herbal gardens flourish. Globally, we are facing a huge environmental crisis, and the time to act is now. Let us abide by this theme and work towards restoring and preserving biodiversity.

(This column appeared in the July 2021 edition of our magazine. Click here for a copy) 

Jayashree Ullal started her journey with Himalaya in 1998. She has worked in various capacities and has played a key role in the planning and execution of business and finance strategy. Jayashree has over 25 years of experience in managing Finance and Information Technology for Himalaya India. She is currently responsible for Himalaya India’s Finance and Operations.

Views of the author are personal and do not necessarily represent the website’s views.