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A message from IUCN's Business and Biodiversity Programme        

Dear colleagues,

Despite the continuing challenges of the global pandemic, IUCN's Business and Biodiversity Programme started 2021 in high gear. Plans for the IUCN World Conservation Congress and CEO Summit are underway, and more details will be available soon.  

IUCN and The Biodiversity Consultancy group, along with IUCN Members and several energy partners released a new report on mitigating biodiversity impacts in renewable energy projects. We joined IUCN Commission experts and companies to issue new guidelines on corporate biodiversity performance. Also, an IUCN-backed independent panel issued a report, calling for the reparation programme in the Brazil's Rio Doce Basin to adopt an an integrated landscape approach from source to sea; and, another panel published the first-ever, range-wide study on gray whale ship strikes.   

In addition, IUCN supported the EU-backed We Value Nature "10-Day Challenge" with 40-plus sessions aimed at businesses interested in advancing their nature agenda. All of these stories and more are covered in this editions of Building Bridges.

 If you would like further information, please don't hesitate to contact us, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Gerard Bos,

Director, IUCN's Business and Biodiversity Programme
 
News highlights
 

Location, location, location: renewable energy guidelines find this is key to protect biodiversity 

By planning solar and wind renewable energy projects in areas with a lower conservation priority, project developers can avoid the most severe potential negative impacts on biodiversity, according to the new guidelines by IUCN and The Biodiversity Consultancy, produced in partnership with IUCN NGO Members - BirdLife International, Fauna & Flora International, The Nature Conservancy and Wildlife Conservation Society, and energy companies - EDF, EDP and Shell.

“Large-scale expansion of solar and wind energy is vital for a sustainable, low-carbon future. However, developers must take care to ensure that these technologies do not unwillingly pose risks to nature and livelihoods,” said Dr Bruno Oberle, IUCN Director General. 

Seminars focusing on how to apply these guidelines in solar, wind and offshore developments will be held in the coming months. 

Read more.
 

Restoration of the Rio Doce Basin depends on an integrated landscape approach from source to sea, says IUCN's independent panel of experts 

In a new report published this month, the Rio Doce Panel recommends the adoption of a more integrated approach for the entire Rio Doce watershed - from the river’s source to the ocean - to restore its biodiversity and water quality affected by the 2015 Fundão tailings dam failure, which is considered one of Brazil's worse environmental disasters.

The report examines the current state of the water quality and biodiversity in the Rio Doce watershed, providing information on the chemical and biological quality of the water, and an overview of the terrestrial, freshwater and marine biodiversity. As a result, the Panel recommends that Renova Foundation, the entity responsible for implementing the reparation programmes in the watershed, adopt measures that contribute to a better understanding of their interactions and the region's long-term conservation and recovery.
 
Read more.
 
IUCN urges governments to invest in nature as part of their recovery from the global pandemic
 

IUCN has launched a new Nature-based Recovery Initiative, calling on governments to channel at least 10% of their overall economic stimulus packages to address the global pandemic towards nature and nature-based solutions. 

The impacts from the pandemic have exacerbated poverty and environmental challenges, according to IUCN State Members, who participated in a series of events last month.

Also, in related news, the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas recently issued a special edition of its journal, PARKS, showing how the pandemic has significantly impacted nature conservation around the globe. 

"Investing in nature conservation and restoration to prevent the future emergence of zoonotic pathogens, such as coronaviruses, costs a small fraction of the trillions of dollars governments have been forced to spend to combat COVID-19 and stimulate an economic recovery," said Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, CEO and Chairperson of the Global Environment Facility. "To do so will also safeguard jobs, human health, incomes and essential natural resources for billions of people.”  
 
New IUCN guidelines for business aim to improve biodiversity performance

Businesses committed to address the biodiversity risks and opportunities associated with their activities increasingly need information about the status of species and habitats found across their operations and in their supply chains.  The aim of th project led by the IUCN Business and Biodiversity Programme (BBP) and IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Species Monitoring Specialist Group, with input and support from Nespresso, Boskalis and Alcoa, is to facilitate biodiversity performance assessment at the corporate level and support internal decision-making as well as external disclosure.

“The new Guidelines provide a roadmap for businesses set on improving how they manage their impacts on biodiversity,” says Giulia Carbone, BBP's Deputy Director. “By using a more strategic approach, linked to core indicators, business leaders can have a more complete picture of their overall biodiversity performance.”

Read more.
 
We Value Nature "10-Day Challenge" generates new knowledge and commitments for nature 

This marathon "10-Day Challenge" offered over 40 practical sessions on a variety of topics, including natural capital accounting, nature-based solutions, biodiversity reporting and much more. The goal was to help business gain a better understanding of how to value nature, its risks and opportunities, as well as how it can enhance their companies' decision-making and sustainability journey.

IUCN, including its National Committee in France, hosted four of the sessions examining: employment engagement, nature-based solutions, corporate biodiversity performance and sustaining momentum for nature. 

Summaries, recordings and additional materials from all the sessions are available here.
 
Gray whales are at high risk from ship strikes, says IUCN-backed study 

Ships operating in the North Pacific pose a serious threat to gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus), according to the first scientific study that examines the impacts of vessel traffic on the species throughout its range.

In particular, gray whales are at “high risk” from large ships operating in the Bering Sea (including the Aleutian Islands), Gulf of Alaska, along the entire west coast of North America, as well as near Kamchatka and in the Okhotsk Sea in the Russian Far East. An area of relatively high risk was also evident near Russia’s Sakhalin Island, where the Endangered western population of less than 250 gray whales feed every summer and autumn.

The study, published in the journal Endangered Species Research, was authored by members of the Western Gray Whale Advisory Panel, which IUCN supports. Further incidents of gray whale ship strikes has been reported in the news, since this paper was published.

Read more. 
 
New IUCN - Anglo American collaboration to address biodiversity and climate mitigation  

A new three-year collaboration agreement between IUCN and the mining company Anglo American will explore how nature-based solutions can help deliver positive biodiversity outcomes and support carbon neutral goals, while delivering additional benefits for conservation and wider stakeholders.

“Reducing and preventing carbon emissions in the mining industry is absolutely critical for companies to achieve their climate change targets, particularly as the demand for these natural resources will continue to increase in the transition to a low-carbon future,” says Steve Edwards, an IUCN Senior Programme Manager, who oversees the organisation’s work on extractives.

Read more.
 
MARPLASTICCs projects support a circular economy in the fight against plastic pollution

Through the Marine Plastics and Coastal Communities project (MARPLASTICCs), IUCN supports five circular economy initiatives that are reducing the amount of plastic waste that leaks into the marine environment. These projects - in Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Thailand and Viet Nam - focus on diverting plastic waste from coastal and marine areas and generating value from the plastic that currently ends up in the ocean. The objective is to improve circularity at these project sites and encourage the uptake of models, such as Extended Producer Responsibility.  

Read more and link to new projects videos here.
Mobilising private investment in the Great Green Wall 

IUCN, in partnership with the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, African Development Bank, International Council for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF), 1t.org, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), SOS Sahel, Mirova, South Pole and others hosted a three-day E-conference in March to promote innovation and stimulate investment in the Great Green Wall, a pan-African initiative to restore and sustainably manage land in the Sahel-Saharan region. Participants shared information on established safeguards for responsible investment as well as potential gaps and risks, and outlined key recommendations for establishing an enabling policy environment for private investment. 

See some of the event highlights on the EU-African platform PAEPARD here. 
 
In other news
New principles for sustainable infrastructure launched

The International Good Practice Principles for Sustainable Infrastructure sets out 10 guiding principles that policymakers can follow to help integrate sustainability into infrastructure planning and delivery. Published by UNEP and the Sustainable Infrastructure Partnership (SIP), they focus on integrated approaches and systems-level interventions that governments can make to create an enabling environment for sustainable infrastructure. There is also a companion guide now to help users navigate actions under each of the principles.   

Read more. 
Blockchain for forest landscape restoration under development

IUCN has teamed up with Gaiachain to develop a FLRchain – a blockchain-based application to follow forest landscape restoration implementation through a verifiable ledger system that traces transactions from funding source to farmer. Investments to protect and restore forest landscapes are on the rise globally. A successful uptake of the FLRchain would result in increased investor confidence by improving transparency and efficiency of payments as well as help restoration actors, like farmers, reduce project risks and maximise their impact.  

Read more.
 
Digital stories
The value of water: precious public good or private asset?

The latest UN World Water Development Report, launched on 22 March - World Water Day, assesses the current status of, and challenges to, the valuation of water across different sectors and perspectives, and identifies ways in which valuation can be promoted as a tool to help achieve sustainability. IUCN's Global Water Programme explains how we value water determines how water is managed and shared.

Read more.
Delivering on a promise to investors: the panorama of blue natural capital projects   

The Blue Natural Capital Financing Facility (BNCFF) helps promising blue natural capital projects develop and grow. This digital story by the IUCN Global Marine and Polar Programme features progress at seven distinct projects in the Philippines, Indonesia, Kenya and Zanzibar, where the Facility has worked to strengthen private sector finance and climate resilience in these coastal communities.   

Read more.
 
Upcoming events 

26 April - The next session of the Geneva Nature-based Solutions (NbS) Dialogues looks at health. Find out more about the series exploring different NbS topics throughout 2021 here. 

6-15 July - The United Nations High-level Political Forum will highlight progress on seveal SDGs. Read more.

17-20 August - The World Economic Forum will host a Special Annual Meeting in Singapore. Read more.

3-11 September - The IUCN World Conservation Congress will take place, and the CEO Summit will help kickoff events on 3 September, ahead of the official opening. Find out more and register to attend here.
 

Photo credits: Wind turbines - Joseph Kiesecker; Rio Doce watershed - Nitro; Women planting - Ana Grillo; Man on bicycle - freepik.com; Whale tail - Dave Weller; African landscape - Ben Perry/De Beers; Marplasticcs project - IUCN Thailand; Great Green Wall landscape - IUCN; Urban wetlands - CCO/pixabay; FLRchain - freepik.com; Agriculture field - shutterstock/pmphoto; Woman in boat - BNCFF; Calendar - wallpaperaccess.com.

For more information, visit the IUCN Business and Biodiversity Programme website or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn