Developers urged to preserve biodiversity

WASHINGTON — By taking steps to preserve biodiversity, real estate and land use professionals can protect critical natural resources, reduce carbon emissions and enhance the value of their properties, states a new report from the Urban Land Institute (ULI).

The report, Nature Positive and Net Zero: The Ecology of Real Estate, is the latest from ULI’s Greenprint Center for Building Performance.

“The loss of biodiversity, the degradation of natural resources and the climate crisis are interconnected in many ways,” said Marta Schantz, co-executive director of ULI’s Randall Lewis Center for Sustainability in Real Estate, in a release. “Investing in nature creates strong returns on investment and can bring a range of benefits for businesses, employees and communities alike. Practitioners in the real estate industry are increasingly recognizing this reality and taking steps to adapt and even reverse the loss of biodiversity.”

The report includes chapters titled Understanding Real Estate’s Role, Presenting the Business Case, The Upside of Action, Current Models for Progress and Multi-Scale Development.

“The natural world offers us an endless source of inspiring and novel ways to reimagine how we solve pressing challenges to help our clients achieve next-level sustainability performance,” said Jacobs senior vice-president Jan Walstrom in a statement. “As we continue to look toward the coming decades, we play a pivotal role in addressing the climate emergency.”