The preamble to the global Sustainable Development Goals envision a world “in which humanity lives in harmony with nature and in which wildlife and other living species are protected.” In practice, however, economic development – and impact investing – has tended to prioritize humans over animals.
In this episode of the Returns on Investment podcast, our regular panelists try to bridge the species gap and bring animals into the impact investing conversation.
“The problem with the sustainable food and the sustainable agriculture movement is that historically it hasn’t been scalable,” says Imogen Rose-Smith, senior writer at Institutional Investor magazine. “That’s where impact investing can be the glue that can bring this whole thing together.”
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Much of the clear cutting that happens in the rain forests is done to provide grain for factory farmed meat – so figuring out solutions to factory farming can ease deforestation, Imogen says. David Bank, editor of ImpactAlpha, points out that land-based farmed fish have the potential to be incredibly efficient at converting feed into protein,” with minimal environmental impact, while relieving stress on wild fish. To be successful, wildlife conservation must deliver benefits for local human communities as well.
Also up for discussion on this episode: animal testing and welfare, Imogen’s rescue dog and the new Goldendoodle puppy coming to David’s household. Have a listen below for the full take.
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This post was originally published on ImpactAlpha.com
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