14 Feb 2019

In the early 2000s, IUCN and the IFC were involved in an interesting initiative to establish a biodiversity business financing initiative for Africa. Known as the Kijani Initiative, the aim was to establish a technical assistance facility and venture capital fund to develop and invest in sustainable biodiversity businesses. The initiative was ahead of its time and these structures were never established.

Nevertheless, some of the work undertaken might be useful today as we look at how to scale up the wildlife economy in Africa. This included the development of a BioSWOT Tool. Here is some of the thinking on this from 2003 that may still be relevant today:

BioSwot Tool

Objective: Identify a set of biodiversity business priorities. These priorities are the set of key issues or opportunities around which the business model can be shaped to ensure maximization of the biodiversity benefits.

Together this set of priorities should address linkages to biodiversity where the business is situated and to the bio-region pertaining to the business. As appropriate, they should also address all three biodiversity objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

The Approach

1. Undertake a BioSWOT analysis

Review the business processes in the context of a biodiversity baseline and identify key Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT). The BioSWOT is most easily carried out through a two-stage process.

The first stage is to undertake a review of the business plan and all available information as to the operations of the business, in the context of a biodiversity baseline assessment, with a view to establishing the most likely strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. This review needs to be conducted in respect of each of the three biodiversity components — ecosystems, species, and genetic resources. An assessment of key biodiversity risks and issues should be carried out and a draft SWOT should be prepared.

The second stage is to send out a team of technical and sectoral experts to verify and develop the SWOT analysis. In so doing, they will be able to identify the most appropriate business priorities.

The selection of the team is of utmost importance. As a general rule, if funding is available, a team of three or four members has been found most useful. It would include a biodiversity business specialist to act as the team leader, a sectoral specialist (e.g. an organic agriculturalist), and a biodiversity specialist with expertise relevant to the particular bio-region. Depending on the results of the first stage, it may or may not be necessary to also include a sociologist or an economist.

2. Establish biodiversity business priorities

Agree on a set of priorities in terms of key business decisions which will allow the business to maximize biodiversity and financial returns simultaneously, by taking advantage of opportunities and mitigating threats. These priorities are the set of key issues or opportunities around which the business model can be shaped to ensure maximization of biodiversity benefits.

The most important feature of the process of ascertaining the biodiversity business priorities is that these must be developed jointly by the BioSWOT team and the business owners/operators. It is essential that the business “owns” these decisions and is fully committed to them. These will in turn provide guidance for the development of the Biodiversity Management Plan in terms of the selection of key biodiversity activities.

3. Set biodiversity objectives

These priorities should then serve as the basis for the definition of realistic biodiversity objectives of the business. When defining the objectives, you may want to consider the following questions:

What contribution can the project make to conserving various components of biodiversity — landscapes/ecosystem, species/habitats, or genetic resources?

How can biological resources, such as wildlife, be used as sustainably?

How will the stakeholders involved in the business — investors, managers, employees, suppliers, consumers, and neighbours — participate and share in the benefits generated?

Francis Vorhies, AWEI Director