Cameron throws weight behind “bio-banking” scheme – 20 Apr 2009 – BusinessGreen.com.
Really? I’m beginning to respect Dave the Chameleon:
Conservative Leader David Cameron has thrown his weight behind proposals for a new “bio-banking” scheme that could see firms make financial contributions towards biodiversity projects whenever they undertake new developments. The proposals, which were originally outlined by shadow environment secretary Nick Herbert in February, are modelled on similar schemes in Australia and the US, and would see developers provide compensation for any resulting biodiversity loss by investing in conservation credits that would help fund projects to protect wildlife at another location.
Yes, it makes me a bit of a one-issue, normative, just-like-in-the-textbooks voter. Plus, I can’t vote in the UK General Elections, what with me being a foreigner and all that. But it does show awareness – kudos to Mr Cameron for that.
What’s more, according to the latest IUCN report,
More than a third of the 47,677 species of plant and animal surveyed this year by the International Union for Conservation of Nature were found to be at risk. The IUCN’s latest “Red List” includes 17,291 species in some degree of danger. This is an increase from 2008, although since more species are examined each year, more are found to be endangered.
With conservation banking being limited to endangered species (I’d like to see the whole issue of Ecosystem Services provision tackled, but still), this means banks could be constituted dedicated to the conservation of 17291 species. A big, big market – how long until these mechanisms take off?
Punchline: good common sense. coming soon to a voting station near you. And badly needed.
