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UK Environment Agency’s launches five-year plan
In July 2020 the Environment Agency published a new five-year strategy, embedding some of the environmental benefits seen during the pandemic. The plan includes a series of annual targets such as for river protection, habitat creation and emissions cuts, aiming to accelerate the UK transition to a nature-positive, climate-resilient future. Read more details in the […] -
UN funding forest protection in Indonesia, despite rising deforestation rates
The UN’s Green Climate Fund (GCF) has approved $103 million of funding for forest protection in Indonesia, through the REDD+ programme. However, the Indonesian government promotes and engages in large-scale deforestation, with rates increasing during the pandemic. Therefore, the GCF has received widespread criticism for using inappropriate methodology for calculating avoided emissions and rewarding funding […] -
UK post-Brexit Environment Bill
Details of the UK’s post-Brexit Environment Bill were launched in January 2020. Further updates on the Bill were announced on August 19th, including the creation of legally binding targets on four key areas: biodiversity, air, water and waste. This means that future governments will be legally bound to meeting these targets, making commitments resilient to […] -
Low-carbon recovery is the best option for Brazil
A new study – A New Economy for a New Era: Elements for Building a More Efficient and Resilient Economy in Brazil – finds that a low-carbon, climate-resilient recovery for Brazil would provide more benefits for the country than continuing the current development model. Compared to business-as-usual a low-carbon economic recovery could provide: A net […] -
Watch NbS Digital Dialogues & read summaries
Summaries We are now pleased to publish summaries of five of the panel sessions from the event. Each summary outlines the key messages made during the session, and makes recommendations of actions to be taken in science, policy or practice, depending on the session, to further advance the successful implementation of NbS. Read the summaries […] -
Five policy recommendations for nature
Business for Nature brought together over 200 companies from 15 sectors, and many additional organisations, to create five policy recommendations for to help protect and restore nature: Provide direction and ambition by adopting ambitious targets to reverse nature loss Increase coherence in UN governance by aligning policies for nature, people and climate, and ensure effective […] -
IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions
On 23rd July 2020 the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) launched a Global Standard for nature-based solutions (NbS). Through a two-year consultation process involving almost 1000 people, IUCN created this set of criteria to define what constitute successful and sustainable NbS. They can be used as guidance by governments, businesses, NGOs, communities […] -
Launch of Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures
Back in 2017, the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) published voluntary guidelines for reporting risks that climate change poses for business, investments and loans. Now an equivalent set of guidelines is being made for nature-related risk – the creation of a new Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) framework was announced in […] -
WEF: Nature-led COVID recovery could create $10tn/year
The World Economic Forum’s New Nature Economy report, published in July 2020, found that prioritising nature in the COVID recovery strategy could generate 400 million jobs and $10 trillion per year. Important components of such a strategy are ending the $2 billion of damaging subsidies given daily to agriculture; such subsidies must be redirected at sustainable […] -
Unilever makes new sustainability commitments
The consumer goods giant Unilever, which owns over 400 brands, has already committed to Science Based Targets for zero emissions in operations by 2030. In June 2020 they set out new commitments to sustainability, including: Deforestation-free supply chain by 2023 Providing water stewardship programmes to 100 water-stressed locations by 2030 Net-zero emissions for all products […] -
The costs, benefits & economic implications of protecting 30% of the planet for nature
Protecting 30% of the world’s land and oceans is proposed as a target for the draft post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. This report finds that the benefits of such protection would outweigh the costs at least 5-to-1, providing new evidence that wildlife conservation drives economic growth in addition to non-financial benefits, and is critical for creating […] -
Updates to Nationally Determined Contributions to the Paris Agreement
Updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement are due this year. So far eight countries have submitted new NDC targets, eight have proposed new targets, and seven have re-submitted old targets. This leaves 172 countries yet to submit their 2020-updates. The countries that have submitted old targets and so will not strengthen their […] -
NbS Digital Dialogues – 7th-9th July
It’s just a few days until NbS Digital Dialogues 2020, where we will bring together leaders from science, policy and practice, to discuss what successful, sustainable Nature-based Solutions look like, and how they can be financed and governed. Sign up now for: Three inspiring keynotes by Sandra Diaz, Christiana Figueres, Musonda Mumba Six panel-sessions taking […] -
EU launches Biodiversity Strategy for 2030
In May 2020, the European Union released its new Biodiversity Strategy, to address the biodiversity crisis both within and beyond the territories of member states. The new strategy involves: – Protecting and effectively managing at least 30% of Europe’s land and sea – Improving the conservation status or trend of at least 30% of EU […] -
Bangladesh’s mangroves threatened by development
A 6 km-long bridge is being built in Bangladesh. This will increase connectivity across the country, and has already prompted development in the south-western Khulna Division. This region is home to the largest mangrove forest in the world: the Sundarbans. These mangroves are already under pressure from human activities, but the growth of real estate, […] -
Saving the Sundarbans from development
Mukul et al. 2020 A 6 km-long bridge is being built in Bangladesh. This will increase connectivity across the country, and has already prompted development in the south-western Khulna Division. This region is home to the largest mangrove forest in the world: the Sundarbans. These mangroves are already under pressure from human activities, but the […] -
Net Zero webinar series
In collaboration with The Guardian, the University of Oxford is hosting a series of five webinars on how the UK can achieve its net zero emissions target. The webinars are free to watch and tailored to a public audience, specifically the “well-informed school-striker”. Reaching net zero will require drastic reductions in emission of greenhouse gases, […] -
Call to CEOs to push for nature-positive recovery
31 NGOs and business groups have published a letter calling on CEOs to use their influence to encourage governments to make ambitious policies for nature as part of green COVID recovery plans. Read the letter here. -
Mapping the effectiveness of nature‐based solutions for climate change adaptation
To enable NbS policy and practice to be better informed by science, we produced the first global systematic map of evidence on the effectiveness of nature-based interventions for addressing the impacts of climate change and hydrometeorological hazards on people. -
Club of Rome call for nature protection on World Environment Day
On World Environment Day, 5th June 2020, the Club of Rome called on governments to recognise the dependency of humans on nature. They said that we must, as societies, reassess our relationship with nature in order to avoid future devastating events – pandemics or other natural disasters. This requires ‘rethinking our consumption and production patterns, […] -
NbS Bangladesh Community of Practice
On World Environment Day, we are delighted to announce the launch of NbS Bangladesh. This is a community of researchers, practitioners and policymakers working to enhance understanding of the importance of nature-based solutions and to scale-up their implementation in Bangladesh. The website acts as a hub of knowledge on nature-based solutions in Bangladesh. We are […] -
NbSI director appointed as a Friend of COP26
The 26th UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP26) will be held in Glasgow on 1-12th November 2021. Over 30,000 delegates will convene to agree on actions to address the climate crisis. We need internationally-coordinated action in order to effectively mitigate and adapt to climate change, and the discussions at and during the run-up to COP26 […] -
Tree planting is not a panacea for climate change
One Earth presents a collection of seven expert perspectives on the role of tree planting for mitigating and adapting to climate change. Among them is NbSI director, Professor Nathalie Seddon. Some key points include: The Trillion Trees initiative requires large investments from governments, ‘shovel-ready’ projects for investment, and robust social safeguards. Long-term tree stewardship with […] -
Marine Protected Areas in Vanuatu
Flexible management of marine protected areas around the Pacific Island of Vanuatu, has increased food security and income for local people during times of shortage. Vanuatu is highly vulnerable to natural hazards such as cyclones, tsunamis, drought and sea level rise. The country suffered its worst cyclone since records began in 2015, and in response […] -
Assisted Natural Regeneration in Burkina Faso
Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) in Burkina Faso has improved provision of forest products for local people. ANR, in this case, involves construction of fences around areas of savanna, excluding grazing animals and allowing natural forest to regenerate. ‘Cultivation bands’ for agroforestry are also formed around the periphery of the exclosures, providing an additional source of […]