Biodiversity conservation is necessary to support a natural and vital ecosystem - across flora and fauna conservation, wildlife habitats, soil health, plant pollination, pest control and more. Biodiversity is critical for global food security and agriculture and its loss at an alarming pace over the past few decades is an issue of serious environmental and economic concern.
In India, almost two-thirds of the population lives in rural areas and is dependent on agricultural livelihoods. Recognising that its operations and value chains are dependent on nature for essential resources such as water, key raw materials and agri commodities, ITC has launched an extensive biodiversity conservation programme that also looks at restoration of wastelands and building community awareness. In addition, as our business operations can also impact nature, ITC also works for protection of biodiversity in its catchments.
ITC's Biodiversity Conservation Programme
Preserving and restoring biodiversity is key for the long-term sustainability of agriculture and to build climate resilience. ITC's biodiversity conservation programme focuses on reviving ecosystem diversity and services provided to agriculture. This facilitates natural regulation of pests, pollination, nutrient cycling, soil health retention and genetic diversity, which have witnessed considerable erosion over the past few decades.
ITC has won the first 'UNDP Mahatma Award' in 2023 in recognition of ITC's Self-sustaining Human-centric Approach to Biodiversity Conservation
ITC has the distinction of being the first in India to have obtained the Forest Stewardship Council®-Forest-Management (FSC®-FM) certification, which confirms compliance with the highest international benchmarks of plantation management
Under these certifications, the farms are audited regularly to verify that farmers are compliant with the standard's comprehensive requirements, leading to continuous improvement on the journey to sustainable agriculture. The farmers follow the principles of sustainable farming, which includes biodiversity conservation, improved livelihood and human well-being, and natural resource conservation.
With support from ITC, the farmers in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Punjab undertook effective planning and farm management systems that benefit communities, forests, native vegetation, ecosystem services, and wildlife.
Enabling a 'Deforestation-free' Leaf Tobacco Value Chain
ITC's Agri-Business is committed to ensuring 'Zero Deforestation' across the leaf tobacco value chain. The Business has implemented a three-pronged approach towards conserving energy and ensuring sustainable fuel management in tobacco curing. This entails introduction of fuel-efficient technologies, promotion of self-sustenance in meeting fuel requirements through energy plantations, and use of alternative fuels.
Restoration and Rehabilitation of Degraded Plots
Mosaic Restoration
ITC promotes community-based biodiversity conservation by implementing Nature Based Solutions. The goal is to conserve biodiversity in landscapes by restoring degraded village commons, encouraging the plantation of native species and reducing pressures on forests. The primary focus is on restoring village commons, which involves community-led social protection to expedite in-situ native root stock regeneration, as well as soil and moisture conservation. In highly degraded patches where in-situ regeneration is not feasible, trees of native species are planted.
Sustainable Agriscapes: Revival of Ecosystem Services for Agriculture
Ecosystem services are a flow of benefits provided by nature to businesses and society. ITC has collaborated with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to develop a template for 'Sustainable Agriscape for Future'. This involved mapping ecosystem services benefitting agricultural activities and livelihoods like regulating hydrological cycle for year-round water flow in streams, hosting pollinators and predator birds (on crop pests), improving soil microbial health and provision of food, fodder and fuelwood for the local communities, and designing and implementing plans to revive those services.
Sustainable Agriscape in Munger, Bihar
ITC's approach is aligned to the recommendations of the global Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and follows the LEAP approach.
Locate - Locating & Scoping Business-Nature Interface
Evaluate and Assess - Evaluating & Assessing Nature-related Dependencies, Impacts, Risks & Opportunities
Prepare –
Implementing Management Strategy in line with UN Mitigation Hierarchy
Setting Nature-related Targets
Reporting on Progress & TNFD-aligned Disclosures
Biodiversity conservation covering
over 1 million acres by 2030
ITC invests in people and practices that are good for the planet.
FSC FM License Code (FSC®-C102390)
Chain of Custody Certification from the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®-C064218)