8 December 2009: The UN Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank, IUCN, The Nature Conservancy, Wildlife Conservation and WWF have released a report titled “Natural Solutions: protected areas helping people cope with climate change.” The publication identifies the significant contribution of protected areas in reducing climate change impacts as carbon dioxide sinks and natural buffers […]
8 December 2009: The UN Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank, IUCN, The Nature Conservancy, Wildlife Conservation and WWF have released a report titled “Natural Solutions: protected areas helping people cope with climate change.”
The publication identifies the significant contribution of protected areas in reducing climate change impacts as carbon dioxide sinks and natural buffers against disasters, as well as through their function in stabilizing soil against landslides and blocking storm floods. UNDP notes that maintaining and expanding protected areas needs to be recognized by the UNFCCC and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) as an effective tool in the fight against climate change and should be mainstreamed into national climate change strategies.
The report indicates that an estimated 15% of the world’s carbon stock is stored in protected areas around the world. UNDP underlines that despite the value of protected areas, financial support is less than half of what is needed for maximum efficiency. [UNDP Press Release][The Report]