Business and Biodiversity: A California Winery Deep Dive

Business management research has struggled to comprehend and measure the business-biodiversity relationship, usually oversimplifying indicators or failing to evaluate biodiversity in any meaningful capacity. This is clearly reflected in business reporting and disclosure on biodiversity-related topics, where firms either tend to not report on biodiversity at all or mention biodiversity without reporting any quantitative indicators. Conservation science presents a cluttered and complex landscape of biodiversity indicators and tools that are difficult for businesses to navigate. However, by integrating insights from business and conservation, it is possible to meaningfully measure business-biodiversity relationships. 

Drawing on a mixed methods case study of a California winery, I examine the relationships that businesses can have with biodiversity. This winery was selected because it is a business at the intersection of both an industry and a location that is ideal for exploring the complexity of business-biodiversity relationships. California is a global biodiversity hotspot; that is, it is one of twenty-five locations in the world home to a high proportion of endemic species and identified as a priority for conservation efforts. The California wine industry impacts biodiversity through activities such as pesticide use, land usage, and monocultures; depends on biodiversity such as ecosystem services, pollinator species, and grapevine varietal variation; and is impacted by biodiversity such as pests and invasive species. 

I evaluate the impacts, dependencies and risks across the ecosystem, species, and genetics levels. This case draws on spatial biodiversity data and qualitative information from the winery website to display a practical approach to evaluating business-biodiversity relationships. I map both the location of the winery and the biodiversity data with geographic information systems. Importantly, I also highlight the range of strategies that businesses can adopt to manage their relationships with biodiversity. Most strategies adopted by wineries tend to degrade natural ecosystems, but I highlight nature-based solutions as a pathway for business strategy.