REAPING THE BENEFITS OF BIODIVERSITY
The CNH Industrial Curitiba plant, in Brazil, located in an environment with a high biodiversity index
In 2011, the United Nations launched its ambitious Decade on Biodiversity – since then it has been encouraging governments, businesses and individuals to embrace the plan and find ways to work in harmony with nature.
When the strategy was launched, Under-Secretary-General for Communications Kiyo Akasaka made it very clear what was at stake: “For the next 10 years our commitment to protecting more than eight million species, and our wisdom in contributing to a balance of life, will be put to the test. Actions taken by individuals, businesses and governments – our collective actions – are critical for protecting all life on Earth. By being proactive about biodiversity we ensure human well-being. It is in our own interest, in the interest of our children, and in the interest of future generations, that we take action in support of biodiversity.”
When laying out the plan for the decade, the UN pinpointed the vital role that industry would play in making the strategy a success: “In an era when economics is a dominant force in world affairs, it is more important than ever to have business willingly involved in environmental protection and the sustainable use of nature. Fortunately, a growing number of companies have decided to apply the principles of sustainable development to their operations” (United Nations Decade on Biodiversity).
CNH Industrial is one of those companies; for the past eight years we have been working with the scientific community to help monitor and protect the natural environment in areas surrounding our sites. We are committed to enhancing the variety of plants and wildlife and protecting places of environmental interest.
CNH Industrial for the biodiversity
The Company has made an in-depth study of the ecosystems around several plants worldwide located within, bordering or near protected areas and those of high biodiversity. These include: our site making heavy-duty diesel engines at Bourbon-Lancy in France; the engine factory at Foggia, Italy; truck production facilities in Madrid in Spain, in Suzzara in Italy and in Sete Lagoas in Brazil; a firefighting vehicle factory in Ulm, Germany and a tractor and combine harvester manufacturing site in Curitiba, Brazil.
Adopting a methodology developed with the University of Turin’s Department of Life Science and Systems Biology, the range of flora and fauna was assessed within a radius of about 5km of each site to see if the diversity could be improved. The studies evaluated two factors: the man-made pressure generated by industrial, agricultural and urban activities and infrastructure in the local area (known as the anthropic pressure index); and the biodiversity to be found on land and in water, using the most common biological indicators (known as the biodiversity index).
Although the results of the studies showed that the manufacturing plants contributed no more than one percent of the man-made pressure on their surrounding areas (requiring no specific measures to be put in place), CNH Industrial pressed ahead with its commitment to protecting and enhancing biodiversity within and around our sites by implementing further improvements and initiatives.
Key projects from around the world
The Racine (USA) plant, home to Case IH’s famous Magnum tractor, is working with Snapshot Wisconsin, a volunteer-based project supported by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources aimed at monitoring wildlife using state-of-the-art motion-activated trail cameras. The data generated will provide a unique insight into the current status of the various animal species living on and around the plant - an invaluable tool in wildlife management.
The New Delhi plant in India has launched two initiatives designed to promote biodiversity. The first involved the planting of over a thousand native plants, shrubs and flowers (such as tringa totanus, leucophaeus atricilla and gruidae) and the second was the creation of a designated area on the site which now serves as a safe haven for migratory birds from Siberia and China.
Biodiversity is at the heart of our operation. In Curitiba, Brazil, some 1,000 native plants were introduced into CNH Industrial owned land adjacent to our manufacturing facility, while a similar tree planting initiative took place at our Sorocaba facility on “National Tree Day”.
Image: In Curitiba, Brazil, some 1,000 native plants were introduced into CNH Industrial owned land
Bourbon-Lancy in France was the first CNH Industrial plant to assess its biodiversity value in 2012 and since then has kept up the momentum with a range of projects aimed at raising awareness of this important topic, both at employee and at local community level. The latest initiative, in collaboration with a local primary school, involved the creation of a “green wall” near the entrance to the company restaurant, constructed from reclaimed wood and decorated with different types of plants and shrubs. The school children were also shown the well-established, on-site bee hives and learnt about the importance of bees in the ecosystem.
Many different initiatives are already in place but there is still more work to be done. This is why CNH Industrial is continuing to assess and implement additional projects designed to further enhance biodiversity - an integral part of our ongoing commitment to build a more sustainable future.
Image: Bourbon-Lancy in France was the first CNH Industrial plant to assess its biodiversity value
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEES
Our commercial vehicles manufacturing plant in Brescia, Italy has been working for some time now in close collaboration with the Istituto Zooprofilattico (animal health and food safety research organization) in Padua, Italy and the Municipality of Brescia on the environmental biomonitoring of a colony of bees that has been established in a green area previously created to plant ancient species of fruit trees. As bees can perceive ecological changes in their surroundings, by analyzing both organisms and hive products (honey, propolis and pollen), it is possible to assess environmental conditions (such as air quality) across a radius of more than three kilometers. Similar initiatives with hives have taken place at our bus manufacturing plants in Rorthais and Annonay, France.
Our commercial vehicles manufacturing plant in Brescia, Italy has been working for some time now in close collaboration with the Istituto Zooprofilattico (animal health and food safety research organization) in Padua, Italy and the Municipality of Brescia on the environmental biomonitoring of a colony of bees that has been established in a green area previously created to plant ancient species of fruit trees. As bees can perceive ecological changes in their surroundings, by analyzing both organisms and hive products (honey, propolis and pollen), it is possible to assess environmental conditions (such as air quality) across a radius of more than three kilometers. Similar initiatives with hives have taken place at our bus manufacturing plants in Rorthais and Annonay, France.
