Story | 14 Oct, 2020

FEBA and PEDRR Launch "Promoting Nature-based Solutions in the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework"

This International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, The Friends of EbA (FEBA) network and the Partnership for Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction (PEDRR) have published a joint paper to promote Nature-based Solutions in the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. This paper was developed as input to the evolving deliberations on the post-2020 GBF under the Convention on Biological Diversity. It sets out general principles by which Nature-based Solutions can contribute to addressing biodiversity loss and ensuring people benefit from nature. Strengthening the emphasis on NbS in the GBF has the potential to bring about transformational change in society’s relationship with nature, to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and ensure that, by 2050, the shared vision of living in harmony with nature is fulfilled.

Photo: FEBA and PEDRR

The role of healthy and resilient ecosystems in providing benefits to people is recognised not only under the CBD, but in various other major policy frameworks, such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Paris Agreement, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. Increased focus on incorporating nature into a range of sectoral and overarching strategies to meet societal challenges is a cornerstone of addressing current global sustainability challenges. Such an approach is also central to the CBD’s mandate. Parties of the Convention can make full use of this opportunity to promote adoption of NbS in the GBF (see CBD/POST2020/PREP/2/1) as a pathway to achieving the 2030 action targets and ultimately the 2050 Vision. There is an opportunity here for the CBD to ride the wave of calls by Parties and UN entities to “build back better and greener” from the COVID-19 pandemic and lead by example, by setting strong targets that fully integrate NbS. Members of the FEBA and PEDRR networks are ready to support the CBD Secretariat and Parties in this regard.

Key Messages

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) – defined as actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural or modified ecosystems to address societal challenges, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefit – are crucial for sustainable development. The sustainability, cost-effectiveness, and scalability of NbS make them one of the best tools available to implement the GBF and ensure the necessary transformative change to fulfil the 2050 Vision.
As an umbrella term, NbS encompasses approaches of working with nature, such as ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA), ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR), and ecosystem-based mitigation (EbM). NbS as an overarching concept can be used to support communication and mainstreaming of these different subsets across international, multilateral agreements/global frameworks and their audiences. Bringing clarity to the terminology is critical to mainstream understanding and ensure the incorporation of NbS approaches in the GBF.
The sustainable management actions of natural and modified ecosystems and change in behavioural norms that form the backbone of many NbS can contribute to achieving the majority of proposed GBF Action Targets and should be referenced specifically as a means to achieve multiple benefits.
The framework should mention the need to ensure that measures to conserve biodiversity are themselves designed to be resilient to current and future global challenges, and to provide benefits to all people, current and future generations.
Indicators that measure NbS implementation and effectiveness need to be developed and incorporated into the GBF. Increased efforts to address indicator development may be required to fully close this gap. Indicators also need to be aligned with targets of other frameworks (e.g. 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, UNFCCC, UNCCD) to reap synergies for effective monitoring, reporting and verification. Recognising that many of the suggested indicators would require further methodological development, members of the FEBA and PEDRR networks are ready to support Parties and the CBD Secretariat in this regard.

Read the full paper here.

About FEBA and PEDRR

The Partnership for Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction (PEDRR) is a global alliance of 27 UN agencies, NGOs and specialist institutes. Friends of EbA (FEBA) is a global collaborative network of 80+ agencies and organisations working in EbA working jointly to share experiences and knowledge, to improve the implementation of EbA related activities on the ground, and to raise awareness and understanding of EbA in adaptation planning processes and multilateral policy frameworks. The CBD COP recognizes FEBA as a key partner “to support Parties in their efforts to promote ecosystem based approaches to climate change adaptation” (Decision 14/5).