Estate Living Magazine Precinct Living - Issue 33 | Page 46
In a perfect
world …
In a perfect world we would wake up each morning with a spring in our step and
breathe in fresh, unpolluted air as we gaze upon rolling hills of pristine grassland
abuzz with bees, birds and butterflies, a cup of organic direct trade coffee warming
our hands as the sun warms our face. ‘Yeah, yeah, dream on,’ I hear you say …
Dream on indeed. To a time such as now when property
developers are more keenly aware than ever of the effects of
climate change and the benefits of limiting biodiversity loss,
of planning for periods of drought and realising that all these
things can certainly make a difference to the bottom line. So
much so that many are now seeking to integrate best practice
into their developments, and some even opting for biodiversity
certification.
The sceptics will say this is a pipe dream, but environmental
sustainability pioneer John Masson would disagree. So
passionate is he about environmental sustainability that he
envisioned a world where biodiversity would be the foundation,
the core element guiding all decisions in all forms of land use.
Even at a young age his passion for the natural world was evident
as he devised an integrated land-use plan for his father’s farm in
the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, followed by a career in the formal
conservation arena involved in game reserve management,
research, and sustainability planning for rural communities.
The question of ‘how to get conservation principles
beyond natural conservation areas’ led him to establish a
multidisciplinary environmental services company that focused
on applying biodiversity restoration and self-sustainability
principles to the landscaping industry. This was in stark contrast
to the conventional horticultural approach, which was often
highly destructive and resource consuming. John believed
that, by restoring local fauna and flora to a specific area, self-
sustainable life could be achieved. The award-winning design
he implemented at the Randburg facility of global pet food
manufacturer Royal Canin proved just that.
Having shown that biodiversity-centric land management
works consistently across different forms of land use – including
commercial, industrial and residential – John felt that a
standards-based approach to the restoration of biodiversity
within the human footprint would better serve the needs of the
‘green industry’. This led to the creation of the Local Biodiversity
Council, of which John is CEO. This non-profit organisation has
a growing international footprint, and is committed to promoting
best practice environmental standards across all forms of land
use. Crucial to this was the development of its Biodiversity Area
Standard (BAS) through a collaboration with Ecocert, the large
multinational organic certifications body.
So this brings us back to property developers – commercial,
industrial and, more specifically, residential – and how they can
help redress the issues of biodiversity loss and climate change
by implementing ecologically beneficial approaches to their
developments. By partnering with the Local Biodiversity Council
and making use of their ground-breaking BAS, developers are
able to integrate their site with its surrounding outdoor footprint
in a way that promotes best practice biodiversity management,
mitigates environmental impacts and reduces consumption of
natural resources.
In simple terms, this is ensuring that the new development
blends into its surroundings, that the developer puts appropriate
local fauna and flora at the heart of the development, manages
44 |
www.estate-living.co.za