Phase 2 of the European business and biodiversity platform.

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Phase 2 of the EU business and biodiversity (B@B) platform is a continuation of the previous platform.The European business and biodiversity (B@B) platform lasted for 3 years and the contract (with IUCN) ended in October. It covered 6 sectors: agriculture, forestry, finance, food supply, non-energy extractive industry and tourism. All the material from workshops, publications, case studies, etc. can be found on http://ec.europa.eu/environment/biodiversity/business/index_en.htmlThe platform was effective in terms of communication activities and increasing awareness of the ways that business can support biodiversity. Some useful best practices related to benchmarking concerning, in particular, the monitoring of biodiversity were also developed.Phase 2 of the EU business and biodiversity (B@B) platform will be open to all business sectors. It will continue some activities of the previous platform and also steer the platform in new directions such as thematic tasks on natural capital accounting, biodiversity and innovation and innovative financing mechanisms for biodiversity in the private sector. The objectives include:1) providing an EU-level forum for a sustained and strategic dialogue concerning the delivery of objectives under the biodiversity strategy to 2020;2) working with business to develop tools and approaches that will promote the integration of biodiversity considerations into business practice;3) supporting the actions being undertaken by Member States by encouraging and promoting potential synergies between different national actions and between the EU level and the national level;4) promoting better communication, increased awareness and improved coordination in relation to business and biodiversity activities.