Post by account_disabled on Mar 13, 2024 0:25:14 GMT -5
Nature’s profile in the United Arab Emirates will be boosted by the new Global Biodiversity Framework, developed in Montreal last December at a separate COP devoted to biodiversity. Hailed as a landmark agreement, it has set out to address biodiversity loss, restore ecosystems and protect indigenous rights, and includes ambitious plans to put 30% of the planet under protection by 2030. "I think nature has been moving up the agenda over the last few years,” says Zoe Quiroz-Cullen, director of climate & nature linkages at Fauna & Flora. “But the Global Biodiversity Framework really crystallizes - at an international level - just how important the issue of biodiversity loss is.” Leila Yassine, global advocacy manager for nature at the Rainforest Alliance, is looking forward to a COP that brings together the “inextricably linked” challenges of climate change, land degradation, biodiversity loss and poverty, adding that: “nature should always be at the centre of all these discussions.
Habitats and ecosystems: what’s the difference, and how they affect biodiversity Opening of new farmland by burning wood that has been cut Stopping deforestation, and the destruction of ecosystems such peatlands, remain at the top of the nature agenda/Credit: Getty Farming with nature December 9th has been designated Nature Day in Dubai, with a day devoted to nature, land-use and the oceans. But December 10th could be just as important, says Deutz, as food systems take centre stage. "Agriculture and land-use are the biggest BYB Directory drivers of forest loss,” he explains, “which in turn is the biggest cause of biodiversity loss.” Stopping deforestation, and the destruction of ecosystems such peatlands, remain at the top of the nature agenda. In the past, one of the biggest criticisms of COPs has been that they rarely deliver what they promise, with both countries and companies making grand pledges but often failing to see them through, says Yassine.
It’s important that these pledges are implemented … what’s really been missing is the ambition and the willingness of fully committing to these previous agreements,” she explains. Deutz is hopeful that therestoring forests are all part of a concept that involves working with nature and allowing it to help mitigate climate change by sequestering carbon, explains Yassine, while also helping to: “build the resilience of local communities – all the vulnerable people who are at the forefront of climate change.” The Aquiares coffee estate in Costa Rica is a great example of how nature-based solution like regenerative practices can restore the overall health of an ecosystem. Since the farm began its sustainability transformation nearly 20 years ago, it has gone from using a full-sun monoculture approach to cultivating coffee under the shade of native trees. Seventy-five different types of tree now grow on the 1,000 hectare estate, which in turn have encouraged 140 different bird species, the vast majority never seen on the plantation before. This, along with better water management and healthier soils means: “there are bugs everywhere, which is very important for pollination,” says Yassine. The farm is now more resilient, with less pests and higher quality coffee for which farmers can ask for higher prices.
Habitats and ecosystems: what’s the difference, and how they affect biodiversity Opening of new farmland by burning wood that has been cut Stopping deforestation, and the destruction of ecosystems such peatlands, remain at the top of the nature agenda/Credit: Getty Farming with nature December 9th has been designated Nature Day in Dubai, with a day devoted to nature, land-use and the oceans. But December 10th could be just as important, says Deutz, as food systems take centre stage. "Agriculture and land-use are the biggest BYB Directory drivers of forest loss,” he explains, “which in turn is the biggest cause of biodiversity loss.” Stopping deforestation, and the destruction of ecosystems such peatlands, remain at the top of the nature agenda. In the past, one of the biggest criticisms of COPs has been that they rarely deliver what they promise, with both countries and companies making grand pledges but often failing to see them through, says Yassine.
It’s important that these pledges are implemented … what’s really been missing is the ambition and the willingness of fully committing to these previous agreements,” she explains. Deutz is hopeful that therestoring forests are all part of a concept that involves working with nature and allowing it to help mitigate climate change by sequestering carbon, explains Yassine, while also helping to: “build the resilience of local communities – all the vulnerable people who are at the forefront of climate change.” The Aquiares coffee estate in Costa Rica is a great example of how nature-based solution like regenerative practices can restore the overall health of an ecosystem. Since the farm began its sustainability transformation nearly 20 years ago, it has gone from using a full-sun monoculture approach to cultivating coffee under the shade of native trees. Seventy-five different types of tree now grow on the 1,000 hectare estate, which in turn have encouraged 140 different bird species, the vast majority never seen on the plantation before. This, along with better water management and healthier soils means: “there are bugs everywhere, which is very important for pollination,” says Yassine. The farm is now more resilient, with less pests and higher quality coffee for which farmers can ask for higher prices.