Entry points for change
Sharing lessons learnt and identifying entry points to upscale findings is a crucial part of PLANET4B, and project partner UNEP-WCMC has been engaging with policymakers and businesses to fulfil this goal.
Participation in public consultations
In August, the Welsh Parliament hosted a public consultation on their policies and plans for halting and reversing the loss of nature by 2030. Ceire Booth, policy program officer of UNEP-WCMC submitted comments on behalf of PLANET4B, emphasizing the need to more explicitly elaborate on how their conservation and restoration measures can produce important social benefits.
Ceire’s inputs included highlighting the need for an intersectional approach to facilitating participation in their public consultations and for assessing, planning and monitoring who benefits from conservation and restoration of natural areas and the ecosystem services (cultural, recreational, provisioning) they provide.
For the Public Consultation of the draft Action Plan of the UAEU Thematic Partnership on Greening Cities, UNEP-WCMC provided recommendations for how principles of social equity and environmental justice could be better integrated into the draft action plan, drawing on recommendations from PLANET4B and providing links to the case study webpages for the IFZ case study in Graz and CGE case study in Germany as proof of concept.
Cross-sectoral dialogue for the future
Genevieve Beaufoy, associate policy programme officer of UNEP-WCMC recently attended a nature positive workshop held by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), where industry experts, academics and policymakers discussed views on biodiversity and decision-making in business.
Speakers and delegates from both the public and private sector bought expertise spanning from green finance, agriculture and food systems, and climate change and Earth system science. Facilitated discussions generated fruitful conversation between delegates, and the importance of cultivating a culture of interdisciplinary learning and training from early education to the workplace emerged as a key theme, as well as the need to build nature literacy and collective understandings of biodiversity and risks. Genevieve spoke to delegates about the importance of an inclusive, just transition, and drew on insights from PLANET4B case studies that spoke to delegate’s queries related to actualising a whole-of-society approach.
Next steps towards systematic changes
Based on the feedback from the consultations, the early results of the project are already providing valuable insights for policy and business stakeholders. The next project phase focuses on scientific evidence based development of policy recommendations for decision-makers to promote the prioritisation of biodiversity at a systemic level.
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