Nature’s crucial role in tackling the climate crisis and other challenges facing humanity has received groundbreaking recognition from governments around the world.
From seagrass beds capturing climate-changing carbon to nature-based livelihoods helping millions of people stay out of poverty, the natural world is our ally in global efforts to address some of our most pressing problems.
So it’s great to see nations recognize nature’s vital role in tackling these challenges by formally defining “nature-based solutions” at a recent United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) meeting – the first such agreement by an international body.
This is a great step forward, which will support more consistent approaches on how nature-based solutions are viewed and implemented in future. It builds on progress made at last year’s UN COP26 climate summit, where nature’s role in addressing climate change was recognized although the concept of nature-based solutions did not make it into the final text.
In the coming months, world leaders will decide on a UN action plan for nature for the coming decade, and WWF will urge that the importance of nature-based solutions in implementing the new plan is recognized.
ACTION NEEDED ON NATURE LOSS
While UNEA’s recent decision highlights the vital role played by nature, it is also a powerful reminder that we must take urgent action against its deepening loss.
With human activities destroying vast areas of wilderness and driving many wild species into decline, WWF and our partners are calling on world leaders to reverse the loss of nature by 2030.
YOU CAN…
- Read our statement on the UNEA agreement
- Find out more about how nature can tackle the climate crisis
