At CNCo, we understand that maintaining responsible stewardship of the biodiversity that we impact is important to maintaining a resilient natural environment.
There is a need to protect and enhance the ecosystems in which we operate and impact to help nature flourish. Various inputs to our operations such as fuel, paints, ballast water, food and packaging, cargo packing materials, lubricants and chemicals are vital to our operations and help to improve the efficiency of our vessels.
However, these inputs may also result in negative impact on the biodiversity in the areas in which we operate. To achieve our goal of sustainable development and in line with global biodiversity regulations, a greater understanding and emphasis of ecosystem resilience is required. There is a need to assess and identify biodiversity issues of concern to eliminate or minimise the adverse impacts on biodiversity.
CNCo produced Biodiversity Issues of Concern (BIC) and Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) manuals to address high risk areas. BIC covers issues of concern such as marine and shore discharge, atmospheric emissions and other and their impacts. BAP covers the Ecologically and Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSA) and Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA). BAP allows CNCo to identify areas of operations that overlap with EBSA and PSSA together with Recommended Good Practice to follow.
We are expecting this area to assume a much higher profile once the international, legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ) is finalised. This is currently delayed due to COVID-19.
We have in place a number of high level policies (e.g. Biodiversity, Environmental and Sustainable Development Policies) which provide the framework for reducing CNCo's environmental negative impact and impacts on biodiversity under our influence. We are also a part of the Swire Pacific Limited Biodiversity Working Group. This is a Swire group level platform that facilitates learning and is responsible for setting targets and monitoring performance.
We are always looking for opportunities to enhance biodiversity. CNCo partners the Endangered Species International ("ESI") in South Mindanao, the Philippines, to protect International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)-critically endangered Philippine forest turtles on Mount Matutum and assist with a programme on mangrove and coastal reef conservation, management and rehabilitation activities in the Sarangani Bay area. We also support Mahonia Na Dari (MND) in Kimbe Bay, a local marine environment research and conservation education centre based in West New Britain, PNG.
Further to that, our work on Sustainable Ship recycling in Alang, India and Moana Taka Partnership in the Pacific region also have positive environmental and biodiversity impact.
Photo top of page: Franceso Ungaro on Unsplash
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