IFA publishes its industry position statement on biodiversity

Date:01-02-2024

On the first anniversary of the approval of the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework at the biodiversity COP in Montreal (COP15), the International Fertilizer Association (IFA) has published an industry position statement on biodiversity. The statement sets out the industry’s commitment to responsible environmental stewardship in nature protection.

The biodiversity position statement is the culmination of a major piece of work conducted through consultancy-led workshops with IFA members from all major companies in the industry. The IFA-supported Scientific Panel of Responsible Plant Nutrition provided the scientific background for this work, through the Achieving Nature-Positive Plant Nutrition paper.

The industry’s approach includes expanding the adoption of existing science-based solutions, based on good agronomic principles, while developing and driving the implementation of new solutions. This includes developing a comprehensive understanding of the multiple impacts, dependencies, risks and opportunities to biodiversity, which arise from the production of fertilizer through to the management of nutrients in farming.

IFA CEO and Director General, Alzbeta Klein, said, ‘The fertilizer industry recognizes how vital the UN Global Biodiversity Framework is to the protection of habitats and ecosystems worldwide. We will continue to prioritize soil, land and water protection through our sustainability efforts, along with taking proactive steps to reduce the industry’s biodiversity footprint and limit or reverse any negative impacts.’

In addition to setting out the industry’s ongoing commitment to biodiversity, the paper also outlines the work undertaken so far in the areas of achieving nature-positive plant nutrition and developing solutions to reduce fertilizer production’s environmental impact. The industry is also taking the lead in understanding the key biodiversity issues associated with nutrients and fertilizer use through investment in scientific research.

The full position paper can be downloaded from the IFA website.