In OP’s Optimistit business podcast, corporate guests discuss sustainability. The podcast guides SMEs and entrepreneurs on how to make better choices. We help them to spot – and grasp – the opportunities created by business trends, regulations and changes. In this episode, Minna Rautomäki’s guest is Ville Eskola, a preserver of traditional landscapes. They discuss what biodiversity loss means to all of us (agricultural and forestry firms in particular) and what companies can do to halt it.
Sheep are the heroes of biodiversity-loss mitigation
“I can crystallise the social responsibility aspect by saying that we’ve employed a couple of dozen youngsters over the years. Everyone, from small children to grandparents, can be involved in fetching landscape preservation sheep from an island. This involves the community in the work,” says Ville, explaining the responsibility aspect.
Ville’s company engages in traditional landscape conservation by putting sheep out to graze on a couple of hundred hectares of land. Climate change has a clear impact on Ville’s work. For example, extreme weather conditions have become more frequent in the Bothnian Bay. “In a south wind of 20 metres per second, the water level can rise by 120 centimetres above normal. Then it’s not safe to take sheep to the island,” he explains.
In Finland, nature loss is impacting on the reproduction of threatened species: up to a quarter are dependent on current traditional landscapes. Ville is concerned about the preservation of biodiversity. “An assessment of threatened species status in 2019 concluded that around 11.9% of Finnish species are threatened. The direction is negative and the analysis tells us that nature loss is worsening. Once a species is extinct, it can never be brought back. This has broader consequences for the preservation of other species. What’s more, our food production is dependent on pollinators and biodiversity.”
Ville measures the success of his work by looking up at the sky. “In the spring, I listen to radio reports on the decrease in numbers of sparrows and other small birds. Then I glance at the roof of my sheep barn, where small birds find nest material, and see the situation with my own eyes.”
Ville casts ruminants as the everyday heroes of this drama. “Ruminants are often thought to be a cause of climate change. In fact, they’re a solution to biodiversity loss. A single sheep can be a hero of biodiversity loss prevention as a preserver of a traditional landscape that helps other species to survive.”
A traditional landscape playmaker, creating a game plan for his team
Ville describes his role in biodiversity loss prevention as being like that of a playmaker. “I’m a playmaker and jack of all trades who creates the best possible framework for my outstanding team. By turns, I need to be a welder, operate machinery and act as a vet. It feels best when everyone pulls together,” says Ville, describing his work as a multi-skilled entrepreneur. He draws attention to the smallholdings that do valuable work to mitigate nature loss, but are often overlooked. This makes Ville feel duty-bound to highlight these issues in public discussion.
“I try to minimise consumption in my daily life. I don’t buy disposable fashion, but prefer ethical, natural materials that don’t add plastic to water bodies. When choosing products, you have to understand the emissions caused during production, use and disposal. Like everyone else, I fail to notice some things, but I at least try my best to stick to these goals,” adds Ville.
Ville has a tip for small businesses that want to help mitigate nature loss, and advice on where to find further information: “Supply chains should be transparent and you have to try to understand who’s responsible for what. It’s worth seeking information about nature-loss mitigation from reliable sources, such as the Ministry of the Environment’s website.”
The theme of the next Optimistit business podcast episode is diversity in work communities. Our guest will be Jasmin Assulin, a specialist on the topic. Listen to Jasmin’s advice on how to build a diverse working environment!
