Why is biodiversity an important issue?

Biological diversity – or BIODIVERSITY – refers to the wide variety of plants, animals and microorganisms that inhabit the planet and how they work together in an ecosystem to maintain balance and support life.

 

Human activity is putting pressure on biodiversity and accelerating biodiversity loss. A report issued by the United Nations (UN) in 2019 estimates that up to 1 million plant and animal species – out of a known 8 million – are threatened with extinction. The current rate of habitat and species decline is unprecedented and threatens the foundations of economies, food security, health and livelihoods.

 

Businesses are expected to play a significant role in achieving the bold and transformative steps urgently needed to shift the world onto a sustainable and resilient path. Toyota is committed to doing our part to operate in harmony with nature. That's why Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) named "Biodiversity" as one of our four environmental sustainability focus areas.

TMNA's Biodiversity Position

Human activity is putting pressure on biodiversity and accelerating biodiversity loss. This on its own is a global challenge, but biodiversity is also inextricably linked to climate change – we can't solve the climate crisis without recognizing the significant role nature plays in capturing and storing CO₂ from the atmosphere through ecosystem services, on land and in the oceans. Across North America, we are focusing on:

 

• No net loss of biodiversity

 

• Respect for legally designated protected areas

 

• Avoidance of negative impacts on threatened or protected species

 

Our focused approach to all of this involves working with stakeholders, including employees, suppliers, dealers, communities and nonprofit organizations, on biodiversity projects on our sites and in our communities. 

What are we doing to protect biodiversity?

In North America, Toyota's biodiversity strategy includes working with nonprofit organizations and local communities to achieve positive and wide-reaching conservation results. Our projects focus on: 

 

Supporting Native Species

Our species protection efforts focus on supporting native species – those that are indigenous to our locations – and eradicating invasive species. Our team members are engaged in developing habitat to support pollinator species such as butterflies, birds, bees and bats. We also embarked on an indicator species project to add other native species to our habitat management efforts.

 

Restoring Habitat

Since 1999, Toyota has been partnering with Wildlife Habitat Council® (WHC) to restore habitats on our properties. WHC is a nonprofit organization whose services and initiatives empower companies to advance biodiversity and employee engagement. WHC’s voluntary standard, Conservation Certification, recognizes meaningful wildlife conservation and education programs on corporate lands. Toyota has programs at 15 sites with Conservation Certification. Several of these sites have set aside acreage and have installed walking trails to allow team members and the public to enjoy these protected areas. Other certification activities include tree and pollinator garden planting, installing and monitoring bird nesting boxes, and working with local schools to teach students about the importance of biodiversity.

SDG 12

Our biodiversity efforts support Goal #15 on Life on Land, one of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

 

Find Out More

Toyota is committed to doing our part to operate and live in harmony with nature.

Outreach

For more than 25 years, Toyota has been partnering with the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) to protect and restore habitats across North America. NEEF is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to make the environment more accessible, relatable, relevant and connected to the daily lives of all Americans. 

 

Biodiversity Conservation Grants

NEEF, with major support from Toyota, administers the Biodiversity Conservation Grant program, which is designed to support biodiversity conservation projects on America’s public lands. 

 

The first grant of $200,000 was awarded in 2019 to the National Capital Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (NCR-PRISM). PRISM members are responsible for the management of roughly 1,500 square miles of forested lands in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

Additional grants worth $220,000 were awarded in 2021 to four organizations that supported biodiversity conservation projects on public lands within the California Floristic Province. This area spans approximately 113,438 square miles and is designated a biodiversity hotspot. Biodiversity hotspots are home to the highest diversity of plants and animals found nowhere else in the world. 

 

In the first six months, the biodiversity conservation projects within the California Floristic Province generated the following impacts:

 

  • 755 Acres of Land Impacted
  • 6,759,182 Sq. Ft. of Invasives Removed
  • 4,700 Native Species Planted
  • 23 Volunteer Event Hosted
  • 270 Volunteers Engaged
  • 20 Sites Being Monitored
  • 9 Endemic Species Impacted
  • 11 Native Species Impacted
  • 14 Endangered Species Impacted
  • 10 Invasive Species Impacted