Together with MVO Nederland and Solidaridad, we have started the Community of Practice “Business in Landscapes” in September 2020. Together with a diverse group of 12 enthusiastic companies, we will look for ways to realise a positive impact in the production landscapes. We will share knowledge and experiences gained in the field of landscape restoration and will start implementing concrete projects.
Kick-off: ‘Green’ initiatives
During the kick-off session in September, surrounded by the lush green landscape of Driebergen-Zeist, we have gotten to know each other a little better. We listened to optimistic words by Caroline van Leenders (RVO/LNV) about how a Community of Practice can be an effective tool to instigate change and movement.
Session 2: Creating a shared language
The second session, online this time, took place in December. During this session, the emphasis was on creating a shared language by zooming in on the ‘business-chain-landscape’ exercise. This exercise is meant to give participants insights as to how their company relates to the supply chain and to the landscape. Who are the most important actors in the chain? What are the most important issues in the landscape? How do these issues translate themselves into risks (or possibilities!) for business operations? And which actors should be involved in this? Quantifying, scaling and cooperating proved to be the keywords that should guide this process.
Session 3: Formulating concrete cases
2021 is the year in which we want to take concrete steps. The participating companies were tasked to find a concrete case that they would like to engage with during the CoP project in the current year. This could be a concrete project within a landscape, but could also be a more internally focused project aimed at realising change within the company on landscape restoration. In februari 2021, we organised another online meeting in which the participants could pitch their cases and share recommendations. We also presented a couple of inspiring practical applications of quantifying ecosystem services and landscape restoration to demonstrate the possibilities of the cases
What’s next? Get working on cases!
By formulating the cases, we have arrived in a new phase of the Community of Practice, where the participants apply the knowledge gained to their own situation. As a group, we have a nice diversity of cases, but we can also notice multiple shared interests, ranging from the valuing of CO2 and shared sourcing models, to sustainable purchasing and cooperation along the value chain. To best aid the participants in implementing their cases, we will organise several thematic breakout sessions in which we provide them with tools or information based on their needs. We put the participants in the driver’s seat: what kind of knowledge or sessions do you actually need? This way, we can make sure that in 2021 – the new super year for nature – concrete steps will be taken to advance landscape restoration.
