From the 7-19th of December, global leaders will convene in Montreal, Canada for the Convention on Biological Diversity’s 15th Convention of Parties (CBD COP 15). There, experts from governments, civil society organizations and the private sector will work to develop action plans to stem the increasing loss of our planet’s biodiversity. 1000 Landscapes for 1 Billion People will be there to champion landscape approaches as an essential tool for effectively restoring and protecting species diversity long term.
Biodiversity plays an essential role in the ecological, social and cultural health of our landscapes. Despite decades of conservation efforts, biodiversity continues to decline at an alarming rate. With unsustainable land use and resource exploitation as the primary driver of this loss, countries are in need of more inclusive approaches that can both enhance ecological resilience and support local livelihoods.
1000 Landscapes will join several key discussions to highlight the need to develop these collaborative strategies that engage leaders at every level and spotlight locally-led solutions. Together with experts from EcoAgriculture Partners, the Wolf’s Company and the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality of the Netherlands, we will also present opportunities to incorporate landscape-focused finance solutions into countries’ Biodiversity Finance Plans and showcase how this approach can offer long-term benefits for both people and nature.
As part of this effort, we’ve curated a list of landscape- and finance-focused side events that should be interesting to our community. See below for our top selections that we’re looking forward to attending.
Are you attending the CBD COP 15 and Interested in connecting with our team in Montreal? Reach out to Seth Shames (sshames@ecoagriculture.org) and Michael Keller (Mkeller@ecoagriculture.org) for more information.
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1000L Event Participation
Side event: Our food systems are threatened by biodiversity loss and climate change – what can cities and subnational governments do?
Date: 14 December
Local time: 10:00 – 12:00
Organizers: ICLEI Africa, Government of Quebec and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
1000L Speaker: Seth Shames
Location: ICLEI Pavilion
Event Description Food systems transformation presents a unique opportunity to tackle nutrition, biodiversity loss and climate change in concert. Guiding this transformation requires decision makers to adopt a system-wide approach that intervene across different parts of the food system and prioritize inclusive and environmentally sustainable value chains. There is a need to change global dietary patterns, increase the amount of land allocated to conservation and mainstream methods of regenerative or ‘nature positive’ agricultural production (WEF, 2022), and invest in processing and marketing processes that recover food loss and wastes. This all requires decision-makers to develop new ways of governing, financing and developing food systems that are informed by the challenges of the global biodiversity crisis and the realities of an increasingly urban world. This session will demonstrate clear linkages between biodiversity, food security and climate actions, particularly drawing broader linkages between biodiversity protection, climate adaptation and food systems. It further reflects on the existing and proposed mandates that local and subnational governments hold in relation to food systems, exploring how food systems can be integrated into existing local policies and plans to combat, mitigate and prevent ecological degradation and climate change while nourishing the world’s growing population.
Nature Positive Pavilion Events
Side event: Financing nature positive agriculture
Date: 13 December
Local time: 13:30-14:30
Organizers: Cornell University
Location: Nature Positive Pavilion
Side event: Innovations in financing to ensure a nature positive and net zero future
Date: 14 December
Local time: 13:30-14:30
Organizers: Conservation International
Location: Nature Positive Pavilion
Other Events of Interest
Side event: Alignment of financial flows: channeling public and private investment towards nature
Date: 8th December
Local time: 13:15
Organizers: IDFC | Finance for biodiversity
Location: Tomaga 510C
Event Description: Tackling biodiversity loss by aligning financial flows with global biodiversity targets will be an important part of the solution in terms of climate change, poverty reduction and equitable development, particularly in developing countries. By integrating nature-related financial risks, impacts and dependencies into investment decisions, by scaling up nature positive investments such as nature-based solutions, restoration of degraded ecosystems, sustainable agriculture, fisheries and infrastructure, and finally by disclosing nature-related financial risks and opportunities, the financial sector will make the difference.
The Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, to be adopted at COP15-2 in Montreal, once adopted, will be translated into actions, policies and regulations at regional and national levels that will have direct consequences on how business and financial institutions operate and how they can transform their business models.
Both the public and private finance sector needs to align their activities and investments with nature pathways to achieve the 2050 vision of living in harmony with nature.
The goals of this side-event are to:
- Raise attention of CBD delegates and stakeholders on the absolute necessity to align public and private financial flows to achieve the 2050 vision of living in harmony with nature,
- Discuss the role of public development banks and of private financial institutions in greening finance and financing green separately and together.
Side event: Financing biodiversity in Africa- The case of the Africa Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100)
Date: 9th December
Local time: 11:00
Organizers: AFR100
Location: Side-event 2 512F
Event Description: Africa is facing various challenges including high rate of land degradation, droughts and desertification, climate change, water scarcity, loss of biodiversity, need of transboundary infrastructures and solid health systems, with all these challenges and threats leading to or exacerbating food, energy and environmental crisis in the continent, which are direct causes and drivers of security and safety of people and communities in many parts of Africa.
In 2019, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2021–2030 the “UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration”. All these efforts are expected to massively scale up the restoration of degraded landscapes as a proven measure to fight climate change and enhance food security, water supply, and biodiversity. Although Africa presents the largest restoration opportunity among all continents – with more than 700 million hectares of degraded landscapes that can be restored – progress remains slow. A review of current approaches and exploration of emerging opportunities is key to accelerating restoration efforts.
Side event: Aligning finance and economic incentives towards biodiversity goals and targets, including environmentally harmful support
Date: 9th December
Local time: 13:15
Organizers: OECD
Location: Jinsha 513B
Event Description: Transformative changes needed to achieve the objectives of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, so as to halt and reverse global biodiversity loss, will require addressing the key pressures on biodiversity loss. Critical actions that are necessary to enable this transition and to achieve more sustainable production and consumption patterns include 1) aligning financial flows towards biodiversity objectives, including development finance; 2) scaling up the positive incentives that reflect the true values of biodiversity in economic decision-making, and 3) identifying and reforming incentives, including subsidies, that are harmful to biodiversity.
This side-event will show-case latest data and analysis on these issues, highlight key policy recommendations, and share good practice insights that are critical for the effective implementation of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.
Side event: Making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards the conservation, sustainable use and restoration of biodiversity
Date: 9th December
Local time: 13:15
Organizers: IFAD | FAO | AFD
Location: Yangzte 516C
Event Description: Although human well-being depends upon the continued flow of biodiversity and its ecosystem services, they are predominantly public goods with no markets and no prices (TEEB, 2010). Both public and private implementing bodies therefore often neglect their economic and monetary value. As a result, investment decisions are still mainly based on financial Cost-Benefit Analyses which ignore most of the negative (and positive) so-called ‘externalities’ leading to continued degradation of our ecosystems and the loss of biodiversity. Although this will affect all of our society, rural people are those most at risk because of their high dependence on ecosystem services, such as those that contribute to food production via agriculture, fishing, and hunting.
Side event: A web of solutions for Biodiversity: Transformative finance to support the implementation of global agendas
Date: 10th December
Local time: 18:15
Organizers: Fundação grupo Boticário | WRI | CBD
Location: Side-event 2 512F
Event Description: Biodiversity and ecosystem integrity is decreasing all over the world, despite all the efforts and resources invested in the last 30 years, since the first CBD Convention. Civil society, the private sector and governments understand the importance of preserving nature and its benefits, although resources to finance research and actions to maintain biodiversity are limited.
But how to guarantee investments that deliver useful and transformative projects in contexts of territories and challenges so diverse? How to create new partnerships and optimize the resources invested? And yet, how to incorporate an inclusive, multi-stakeholder approach to developing science that is positioned to inform decision-making?
In this side event, we will address these questions, highlight initiatives that are overcoming this challenge, as well as discuss different ways and future perspectives to help achieve the Post-2020 Goals.
Side event: Nature-based climate solutions: Enhancing biodiversity co-benefits
Date: 10th December
Local time: 13:15
Organizers: IISD | GAC
Location: Brahmaputra 511C-F
Event Description: Nature-based climate solutions (NBCS) that conserve, restore and sustainably use biodiversity and ecosystems hold promise in helping people adapt to the adverse effects of climate change. At the same time, global biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation threatens the capacity of nature to provide essential adaptation services. The Nature for Climate Adaptation Initiative (NCAI) enhances capacity for implementation of NBCS, with a focus on rights-based, inclusive approaches. Through presentations and a moderated Q&A, we’ll examine how to generate measurable biodiversity co-benefits through NBCS. The NCAI is funded by Global Affairs Canada and implemented by IISD in partnership with a global community of practice on nature-based solutions.
Side event: 10 years of implementing Biodiversity Finance Plans – stories from the field
Date: 16th December
Local time: 13:15
Organizers: UNDP-BIOFIN | CBD | GEF |
Location: Brahmaputra, 511C-F
Event Description: UNDP’s Biodiversity Finance Initiative, known as BIOFIN, was initiated in 2012 to help countries bridge the funding gap for biodiversity. BIOFIN guided countries in developing biodiversity finance plans, and implementing finance solutions identified in these plans.
Now operating in 40+ countries, this side event will showcase highlights from countries, demonstrating how they developed and implemented solutions to solve the funding challenge in their countries. The side event will provide an opportunity to learn about results at the national and global level and exciting opportunities coming up, in partnership with CBD and GEF.
Side event: Nature Positive Business model 2050
Date: 17th December
Local time: 13:15
Organizers: MoEFCC | CII (India) | WWF India | GIZ | UNDP | IBBI | GPBB | Business for Nature
Location: Side-event 2, 512F
Event Description: Ambitious and transformative actions to address biodiversity loss and its biggest driver, unsustainable production and consumption, is key to conserving biodiversity and achieving a nature-positive world by 2030. This is being growingly recognized by Indian businesses as a crucial goal to achieve long-term business sustainability and value generation.
Businesses in India are cognizant of the fact that biodiversity is the backbone for most of the businesses. They depend on biodiversity for resources such as water, food, fiber, energy, minerals and metals and so much more. Indian businesses recognize that they are one of the leading stakeholders in conserving biodiversity, and halting and reversing nature loss. They recognise the importance of businesses moving away from “business as usual” scenario and adopting sustainable production systems and reducing footprint across their value chain, especially in the agriculture, fishing, energy, tourism, infrastructure development and extractive sector.
