Beyond scents: fragrance industry partnerships for biodiversity conservation

Resumo

Since the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, United Nations biodiversity agreements have evolved to provide greater specificity on benefit-sharing and conservation strategies. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework additionally highlights new opportunities for businesses to support biodiversity conservation, reinforced by the creation of a landmark ‘Cali Fund’ at COP16 in Colombia. However, biodiversity continues to decline at an alarming rate. This paper explores how innovative partnerships between the fragrance industry, conservation NGOs (both global and local), and commercial brands can advance international plant conservation goals. By using the scents of threatened species and ecosystems as inspiration for novel products without destructive harvesting, companies can integrate conservation principles into product development, from sourcing to commercialization, while channeling a portion of proceeds back into conservation efforts. This approach directly connects industries to conservation and addresses a critical gap in plant science expertise within leadership roles in both conservation organizations and businesses. Greater engagement by conservation scientists with the fragrance industry is needed, offering a replicable model for corporate engagement that is sustainable, equitable, and impactful. To achieve these goals, bioprospecting must be reframed to address current environmental, market, and societal challenges.