BMW driving home importance of biodiversity conservation in China

Preserving wetlands, known as the Earth's kidneys, is crucial for biodiversity conservation and environmental protection, which is a widely acknowledged global consensus. German premium automaker BMW has made significant progress in this sector in China, demonstrating its strong commitment to sustainable development.

On July 20, BMW China announced that it will continue to support wetland nature reserves and national parks in three aspects: improving management ability, raising awareness of biodiversity conservation and promoting publicity and education.

The measures include the continuation of support to the Liaoning Liaohekou National Nature Reserve by strengthening its management and enhancing biodiversity education among the public.

Additionally, the company will provide three BMW iX3s as patrol vehicles for Shandong Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve, develop a set of wetland education courses for local students and carry out wetland biodiversity education in the local community.

BMW also joined the China Green Foundation in its China Nature Watch Three-Year Action Plan (2023-25), collaborating with various sectors of society to establish a platform for public education on biodiversity conservation, encouraging more stakeholders to learn about biodiversity protection and engaging the public in building a beautiful home.

BMW's efforts on biodiversity conservation have earned recognition from a number of organizations. Chen Shuxian, chairman of the China Green Foundation, expressed appreciation to BMW China for its continuous focus on ecological civilization construction on July 20.

He said that BMW China has been harnessing its strengths to promote sustainable development and has made wetland protection a priority of its biodiversity protection efforts. It has become an important partner for the foundation in wetland protection.

The Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve, with a rich wetland ecosystem and diverse bird species, holds immense ecological significance. Spanning important bird migration routes, it is a valuable biodiversity hot spot, which is the main reason for BMW to launch projects here, said the automaker. This is just the latest move by the BMW Beautiful Homeland Initiative, which was launched since 2021 with the focus of protecting China's biodiversity and contributing to the construction of national parks.

Last year, the automaker first provided similar support to Liaohekou National Nature Reserve in Northeast China's Liaoning province.

BMW also built an ecological bird hide in the reserve for the observation and protection of rare birds in the region and released three sets of biodiversity education courses and a series of cultural and creative products featuring rare animals in the Liaohekou Nature Reserve, such as the red-crowned crane, black-headed gull and spotted seal.

The automaker provided public education on biodiversity via livestreaming and documentaries, which have been viewed by an online audience of 13 million.

Further support for the Liaohekou reserve will be provided by helping to enhance its management capabilities and expand public education on biodiversity, according to the automaker.

These two reserves are particularly crucial locations along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, an important migration route for birds. By protecting these two areas, BMW is taking a systematic and comprehensive approach to biodiversity conservation, the automaker said.

Franz Decker, president and CEO of BMW Brilliance Automotive, said in an interview: "Good corporate social responsibility understands societal needs and contributes to the society. During our research on Chinese social demands and international issues, we have recognized the paramount importance of biodiversity conservation for sustainable development."

China has elevated biodiversity conservation to a national strategic level and recognized it as a foundation, objective and means for sustainable development, which can promote modernization that fosters harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.

It aligns well with BMW's sustainability strategy, which goes beyond carbon reduction and emphasizes the balance of people, society and the environment, Decker said.

"For BMW, sustainability is not only about decarbonization, but also taking a holistic and coordinated approach that encompasses people, society and the environment. Our sustainability efforts are prioritized in three distinct areas: low carbon emissions, circularity and social contributions.

"With our BMW Beautiful Homeland Initiative, we are increasing efforts toward wetland protection in order to improve the Earth's capacity of carbon fixation and contribute to Chinese modernization based on a harmonious existence between humanity and nature," Decker said.

The topic of biodiversity conservation has sparked tremendous interest among the public, BMW employees, dealers and car owners. The BMW Beautiful Homeland Initiative has garnered widespread attention and support from the media and various sectors of society.

Last year, a single biodiversity science popularization livestreaming attracted more than 3.4 million viewers, according to the automaker.

For BMW, CSR projects are guided by three main principles: efficacy comes first, followed by all-round stakeholder engagement and long-term commitment, Decker said.

The company has upheld these principles in various initiatives, such as the BMW China Culture Journey, which has been running for 17 years, the BMW Children's Traffic Safety Education for 19 years and the BMW Joy Home for more than a decade.

In 2021, the automaker launched the BMW Beautiful Homeland Initiative, making biodiversity conservation its next long-term commitment to Chinese society.

As a vehicle manufacturer, BMW has also implemented several practices to reuse waste and minimize environmental effects in an effort to promote biodiversity conservation in product design and production.

BMW leads the way by using Forest Stewardship Council-certified natural rubber for tires and cooperates with the World Wide Fund for Nature in a pledge to avoid deep-sea mining and minerals. It also takes innovative practices to repurpose waste, like using olive leaf extracts for the all-electric BMW iX's leather interior.

caoyingying@chinadaily.com.cn