Protecting biodiversity is an opportunity for sustainable development
Our journey through our most interesting sustainability programs developed in different countries continues. In Brazil, a project that protects biodiversity combines environmental education with defending local flora and fauna; it has already recovered over 600 hectares of land in twenty of our power plants, where we’ve planted local species of plants and conducted a census of animals at risk of extinction.
Biodiversity is not an abstract value; it’s a natural system that contributes to our lives: it provides food, fibers for fabrics, raw materials to generate energy, and is the basis for medicines. So protecting the variety of living organisms also means strengthening sustainability. It makes sense that in a country as large and as biome diverse as Brazil, sharing the importance of biodiversity is a strategic action.
Our Enel Shares Biodiversity program, launched in Brazil, contains initiatives promoting food and water security, agricultural production, sustainable fishing and mining, that help in the fight against global warming, in line with the socio-economic challenges of the areas where our power plants are located. Not only do these initiatives stimulate policies to conserve, protect and restore the ecosystems, they also generate socio-economic advantages for local communities – because biodiversity is actually a source of goods, resources, and services: so-called ecosystem services.
A wide-ranging project
“Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems,” reads SDG 15 of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. The program consists of several initiatives covering 13 biological groups, from plants to fish to aquatic and terrestrial vertebrates and invertebrates, and it is being carried out at 19 of our power plants. In 2021, we organized several educational activities that contribute to environmental impact prevention, like the Campaign for the International Day for Biological Diversity (celebrated every year on May 22), which aims to promote the United Nations’ mission of “Building a shared future for all life”. The campaign includes different activities: monitoring fauna, providing veterinary assistance, animal rescue, training courses, and an “educational blitz” with employees to promote the commitment to managing biodiversity.
One reason our project works is because it involves many partners: from local communities near the plants to Brazilian state and federal agencies, from schools and universities to associations like ABELHA (which studies bees and runs a specific project for these essential pollinators). And then there are environmentalists, veterinarians, engineering companies, and so on.
The program’s benefits
So far, Enel Shares Biodiversity has made it possible to recover over 610 hectares by planting local vegetation. Overall, 1,200 animal species (of which 26 are endangered and 80 are endemic) have been recorded in the areas associated with the various projects. Promoting biodiversity conservation of local fauna and flora helps farmers and tourism, and it also improves the relationship between the company and local communities and authorities. Generally speaking, it raises greater environmental awareness, it lowers the risk of extinction of many species, and it also reduces the chances of conflicts between the parties involved (for instance, when it comes to protecting the water supply and farmlands). “Not only do these kinds of initiatives stimulate public policies that address conservation and ecosystem protection, they also generate socio-economic benefits for our communities,” explains Debora Rodrigues Pinho, Head of CSV and Sustainability Projects in Brazil. “The outcomes of these initiatives are essential for us to create added value, as well as to establish good relations with local administrations.”
