Category: News
Date published: June 04, 2021

World Environment Day – Ecosystem Restoration

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A decade of ecosystem restoration will be launched by the United Nations on Saturday, World Environment Day. The vitality and diversity of Earth’s ecosystems are the basis of human prosperity and well-being, yet we are degrading these precious resources in alarming ways. The UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration is an opportunity to help turn the tide and give people and nature a sustainable future.

Restoration of farmlands

The way we are using many of farmlands is exhausting their vitality. Excessive use of toxic chemicals and fertilizers are polluting waterways and lowering soil quality and pesticides are harming insects such as bees that pollinate many crops.

Our aim is to help growers around the world to restore agricultural ecosystems by using nature to boost farm productivity. In the past decade increasing number of farmers opted for natural solutions by using natural fertilizers and biological pest control. Using crop rotations and growing more diverse crops, including trees, and integrating them with livestock-rearing can restore biodiversity and provide more nutritious diets. Sustainable farming practices help to rebuild the organic carbon stores and microorganisms that soak up water and maintain the natural fertility of our soils.

Our contribution to land restoration through the lens of the UN’s SDGs:

In 2015, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals offered the world a blueprint towards achieving a better and more sustainable future for all. The 17 goals target poverty, hunger, education, gender inequality, clean water and other critical issues.

Controlling pests and diseases in the greenhouse using predatory mites and wasps; making plants more resilient by using fungi in the soil, and introducing bumblebees to improve pollination, have all, directly and indirectly, enabled a significant reduction in the use of chemicals in horticulture and agriculture, ultimately improving the ecosystem.

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SDG2 aims at ending hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture

Recent figures reveal that more than a billion people go hungry every day. Global statistics also show that 30 to 40% of horticultural and agricultural crop production is lost to pests and diseases every year. Our portfolio of biological solutions offers growers an array of safe, sustainable solutions that combat pests and diseases. We offer macro and micro-biological alternatives to pesticides and artificial fertilizers for growers to produce residue-free fruit, vegetables and other crops.

Our products work both above ground and around the root system in a holistic approach that promotes plant health, the health of growers and their workers, and that of consumers.

We actively promote integrated crop management practices in both the developed world as well as smallholders in less developed countries, sharing our knowledge with not-for-profit organizations, research centres and academia to reach growers in all corners of the world. Amongst other social projects, the Koppert Foundation provides training in integrated pest management to ‘plant doctors’ who advise local growers on sustainable plant protection practices.

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SDG15 to protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and stop biodiversity loss

We directly or indirectly play a role in making growers and other stakeholders in agriculture aware of the risks involved in using chemicals for pest and disease control, fertilization and other farming procedures. We do this by developing sustainable alternatives that come from nature itself, using macro and microorganisms to restore and promote sustainable farming practices while conserving biodiversity.

Our microbial Natugro, Trianum and Panoramix programmes promote plant health to strengthen the crop and improve its resistance to drought or water stress, increase nutrient absorption and protect the crop from harmful diseases. Microorganisms promote plant resilience and optimize the relationship between the root system and the soil. In recent years, our extensive know-how of microorganisms, biostimulants and pheromones has inspired countless solutions that have improved plant resilience to stress, pests and diseases.

Read more about our contribution to the UN’s Sustainable development goals.

You can read it here.

We can prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems, but no single individual or entity can achieve this alone. We will only succeed if everyone plays a part, so join and get involved.