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REWARDING BENEFITS THROUGH PAYMENTS AND MARKETS
Box 5.24: Volume and value of fisheries
certified by the Marine Stewardship Council
The MSC is a non-profit organisation which uses ecolabelling
and independently-verified fishery certification
programmes to recognise sustainable fishing practices
and contribute to the health of the world’s oceans.
A fishery has to demonstrate that it meets three principles
(sustainable fish stocks; minimising environmental
impact; effective management) to be certified.
Between 1 April and 30 September 2008, the number
of fisheries involved in the MSC programme rose
by 41% 32 . By 2009, over 2,300 MSC-labelled products
were available in 42 countries, derived from annual
catches of nearly 4 million tonnes33 . The quantity
and value of such products continues to grow rapidly.
Their retail value was expected to reach US$ 1.4 billion,
an increase of US$ 400 million over 2008 sales.
Source: www.msc.org
At the same time, the agricultural sector can provide important
biodiversity benefits through modified management
systems and alternative technologies and practices
(e.g. organic farming, agro-forestry systems, soil conservation
techniques, conservation of riparian forests). Agroforestry
(combining trees and shrubs with crops and/or
livestock) has been part of traditional agriculture for years
(see Tetetay and Tegineh 1991). Trees on farms can have
multiple benefits e.g. soil regeneration, producing highlevel
fruits, fibre and medicines, and maintaining ecosystem
services such as water, carbon sequestration and
biodiversity 34 .
Farmers in many countries are increasingly addressing
environmental concerns through changes in their production
practices. Various labels and certification standards
– such as ‘sustainable’, ‘organic’, ‘free-range’ and
‘fair trade’ – are now used to distinguish farms using environmentally
favourable practices from those using conventional
methods. Depending on how such standards
are implemented, they could enable agri-businesses of
all sizes to promote conservation and sustainable use of
biological resources (Bishop et al. 2008).
Organic agriculture is by far the largest type of certified
agriculture, generating 30.8 billion EUR in 2006. By the
end of that year, nearly 31 million hectares of land were
certified organic (constituting around 0.7% of the agricultural
land analysed in a comprehensive review by Willer
and Yussefi 2007). By the end of 2007, a further 1.5
million hectares had been certified 35 . Global sales of organic
food and drink have been increasing by over US$
5 billion a year, reaching US$ 46 billion in 2007 36 . The
vast majority of organic products are consumed in
Europe or North America (Bishop et al. 2008).
There is much debate about the contribution of organic
farming to biodiversity conservation (Bengtsson et al.
2005; Gibson et al. 2007). Different certification schemes
require different biodiversity measures, leading the International
Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements
(IFOAM) to develop a guide for farmers on biodiversity
management and landscape quality in organic agriculture
(Bosshard et al. 2009).
Other biodiversity-friendly agriculture initiatives include:
• the Rainforest Alliance programme on sustainable
agriculture whose standard, certified by the
Sustainable Farm Certification 37 , aims to protect wildlife,
wildland, workers’ rights and local communities 38 ;
• GlobalGAP (Good Agricultural Practice), a private
sector body that sets voluntary standards for
agricultural product certification around the globe
that cover biodiversity issues. This is a businessto-business
label not directly visible to consumers 39 ;
• Ecoagriculture Partners. This partnership of
organisations from NGOs in developing countries
(e.g. African Conservation Tillage Network) through
to international bodies like WWF and UNEP was
established at the World Summit on Sustainable
Development in 2002 to “enhance rural livelihoods;
conserve biodiversity; and sustainably produce
crops, livestock, fish, and forest products” 40 .
TOWARDS ECOTOURISM LABELLING
The tourism industry is responsible for some 220 million
jobs (or 7% of total employment) and over 9% of
global GDP 41 . Tourism is a key export for 83% of developing
countries: for the world’s 40 poorest
countries, it is the second most important source
of foreign exchange after oil 42 . Several biodiversity
TEEB FOR NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL POLICY MAKERS - CHAPTER 5: PAGE 49