Sustainable Development Goal SDG 15 Life on Land

Scientific concepts, discoveries, and nature phenomena

• SDG 15: Life on Land — aims to preserve diverse terrestrial life, restore ecosystems, and promote sustainable use and conservation of land and other terrestrial ecosystems.

• Ecosystem services from terrestrial ecosystems, including:

  • Provision of goods and raw materials (e.g., construction materials)
  • Energy resources
  • Food
  • Carbon capture (mitigating climate change)
  • Soil quality maintenance
  • Habitat provision for biodiversity
  • Water quality maintenance
  • Disaster risk reduction
  • Regulating and maintaining agricultural productivity

• Ecosystem degradation trends

  • Claim that 60% of the world’s ecosystems are degraded over the past 50 years.
  • Ongoing resource depletion at an “alarming” rate.

• Deforestation (primary example phenomenon)

  • Reported loss rate: 18.7 million acres of forest annually (equated to “27 football fields every minute”).
  • Climate regulation mechanism: forests act as carbon sinks; estimate that ~15% of greenhouse gas emissions result from deforestation.
  • Biodiversity loss linkage: tropical rainforests host much of global biodiversity.

• Biodiversity loss and extinction estimates

  • References to the IUCN Red List concept (“according to the Red List”).
  • Estimate stated: ~10,000 species go extinct each year (noting uncertainty).
  • Claims: ~52% biodiversity loss, and ~39% loss of terrestrial wildlife (as stated in subtitles).

• Desertification & habitat degradation (SDG-related topics)

  • Mentioned as part of SDG 15 targets: combating desertification and reducing loss of natural habitats.

• Link between business and ecosystems

  • Companies can affect ecosystems through supply chains and land-use choices; SDG 15 is presented as relevant for corporate responsibility.

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Methodology / actions mentioned (SDG 15 implementation by a company)

• Sustainable sourcing of wood

  • Use of certification to ensure wood/forests are managed sustainably.
  • Traceability of wood origin through the supply chain.

• Certifications / program participation

  • FSC and PEFC certification bodies (named as key for wood products).
  • “Programs with NGOs” are mentioned to help ensure products do not contribute to deforestation.

• Funding field interventions

  • A corporate foundation funded by a share of company turnover.
  • Annual support for NGOs working in the field to act against deforestation and fire-related issues.

• Supply-chain stakeholder collaboration

  • Work with suppliers globally (products designed in France, manufactured worldwide).
  • Collaboration with certification bodies, NGOs, and forest/biodiversity experts.

• Impact measurement approach (presented as challenging)

  • Use of company internal indicators (e.g., % of products from certified supply chains).
  • Challenge: certified sourcing alone may not fully capture impacts like biodiversity preservation, effects on people living in/near forests, and overall ecosystem outcomes.
  • Need for “translation” from SDG targets to measurable corporate impacts.

• Communication approach (presented as challenging)

  • Challenge: SDGs are intended as a “common language” but may not be well understood by customers/citizens.
  • Need to communicate CSR/SDG actions so they are not perceived as an “extra administrative layer.”

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Researchers or sources featured (as named in subtitles)

• United Nations (UN) (SDG framework defined by the UN)
• IUCN Red List (referenced as “Red List” for biodiversity context)
• FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) — named certification body
• PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) — named certification body
• NGOs (general category; specific NGOs not named)
• Maïson du Monde / Maison du monde / MDD (company source for the CSR example; not an individual researcher)
• MEPA (appears as a person/host or channel label in subtitles; not enough detail to identify a specific individual)