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
Croydon Olive Estate
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.
44