16 July 2018: On Monday, 16 July 2018, on the sidelines of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the Government of France and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat organized a side event focused on the importance of biodiversity conservation and healthy ecosystems to human livelihoods and well-being.

The event themed, ‘Healthy Ecosystems for Sustainable Development: Engaging Governments and Civil Society towards the 2020 Biodiversity Milestones,’ addressed: integrating or aligning the Aichi Biodiversity Targets with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; forming a coalition among stakeholders to enhance actions to reduce biodiversity loss; and mobilizing funding for nature conservation.

Cristiana Pașca Palmer, CBD Executive Secretary, highlighted, inter alia, the need for: urgent, inclusive and transformative actions on biodiversity to achieve the 2030 Agenda; mainstreaming biodiversity into non-environmental sectors; and intensifying efforts to mobilize financing for biodiversity protection.

Japan’s Satoyama Initiative promotes sustainable use of biodiversity in local production landscapes.

Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment, Egypt, said CBD COP 14 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, in November 2018, aims to, among other things, build partnerships for innovation, and scale up action on biodiversity.

Speakers also emphasized the “inextricable” links between sustainable development and biodiversity conservation, and the opportunity provided by the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the CBD in Beijing, China, in 2020 to assess the need for changes to national commitments. They highlighted Japan’s Satoyama Initiative as a model for promoting sustainable use of biodiversity in local production landscapes, the need to implement a biodiversity certification scheme, and a circular economy approach to engage the private sector.

Participants also suggested: a potential decoupling of biodiversity loss from other indicators; going beyond traditional partnerships, including with ministers of finance; and use of private sector financing, including through guarantees and loans on projects related to ecosystem services. [IISD RS Coverage of Side Event on Healthy Ecosystems for Sustainable Development] [IUCN Website] [CBD Website] [WCS Website] [French Ministry for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition Website]