International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)

The 2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference #COP16, is a crucial moment for the future of our planet.  💚 This year, the conference is tackling the challenge of “how to preserve life on the planet in all its natural and human diversity” and this cannot be achieved without the knowledge and leadership of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. IIED and our partners are working to make sure the decisions made at COP16 deliver real change — rooted in justice, equity, and sustainability. Indigenous Peoples, local communities and smallholder farmers are the stewards of much of the world’s agrobiodiversity. To safeguard nature, we must recognise their rights and contributions. We are calling for the 30x30 target, protecting 30% of land and sea by 2030, to be led by Indigenous Peoples and local communities through governance of protected and conserved areas that respects their rights and territories. Their contributions and values must be integrated across global biodiversity targets, national strategies and monitoring. Follow us for the inside track on COP16 🔔 Tom Mitchell Dr Tara Shine JAMES PERSAD Dr Lindlyn Tamufor Moma Dilys Roe Krystyna Iied UN Biodiversity UNDP Nature UNEP-WCMC FAO

Yesterday at #COP16Colombia, IIED’s Dilys Roe, chair of SULi - IUCN Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group, launched a set of principles for inclusive, gender-responsive and locally-led biodiversity action. These principles were developed at a conference at Wilton Park, hosted by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in September 2024. They are intended to guide governments, donors and NGOs in supporting transformative and equitable biodiversity initiatives. They emphasise local leadership and inclusion of marginalised groups – such as women, youth, Indigenous Peoples, people living with disabilities, and displaced people – who are key to conservation but often lack resources and representation. Evidence shows that these approaches are, ultimately, more effective for biodiversity as well as being more socially just. 1️⃣ Recognise and respect the rights, knowledge and capabilities of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, especially women and youth 2️⃣ Devolve decision making to, and build capacity at, the appropriate local level 3️⃣ Recognise and address structural and intersectional inequalities faced by women, youth, children, disabled, displaced, Indigenous Peoples and marginalised ethnic groups 4️⃣ Encourage flexible, adaptive biodiversity programming through the provision of patient, flexible, predictable and accessible funding 5️⃣ Utilise scientific, local and traditional knowledge to fully understand biodiversity risks and opportunities, and learn from experience 6️⃣ Promote collaborative and coherent action and investment 7️⃣ Actively prevent, or mitigate the risk of, harm These principles are a work in progress, and stakeholders and observers alike are encouraged to share their remarks and ideas to improve on them. Check out the detailed description of the principles ➡ https://lnkd.in/eQTTsfYV #COP16 #biodiversity #gender #inclusive #LocallyLed

Today is Finance and Biodiversity Day at #COP16, and as we enter the conference's second week we're also starting the two-week countdown to #COP29, the UN climate negotiations. The causes and impacts of biodiversity loss and climate change are closely intertwined, and finance is a major issue for both nature and climate. There are multiple funding sources for climate and nature action, including several large funds established under the UN processes. Some steps have been taken to prioritise funding for those most affected by biodiversity loss and climate change, but practical questions remain around how this will be achieved. At this critical juncture between the two UN summits, IIED researchers Nicola Sorsby and Pia Treichel, PhD reflect on some common challenges in funding for both nature and climate, and explain why it is crucial that funding can truly be accessed by those who need it most. Read their insight now ➡ https://lnkd.in/eqXBRcJS #COP16Colombia #climate #nature #finance

At #COP16 this week, IIED met with Madagascar National Parks (MNP), a partner in the Scaling Up Equitable Governance for Protected and Conservation Areas (SEGA) project, which aims to increase the use of the Site-level assessment of governance and equity (SAGE) tool to assess and improve the governance and equity of conservation areas. MNP is mandated by the Malagasy government to sustainably manage 43 national parks and special reserves around Madagascar, with a view to improve biodiversity integrity, local population well-being and fair governance in these sites. Under the SEGA project, MNP aims to apply the SAGE methodology to improve equitable governance at 16 sites by 2028. Find out more about SAGE: https://lnkd.in/giw9PVP #COP16Colombia #Madagascar #conservation #biodiversity #equity

Week 1 of #COP16Colombia is coming to a close. The theme in Cali is Peace with Nature but are we any closer to achieving that ambition? 🌱 Here’s a quick recap on what’s been happening in the negotiations and how IIED is pushing for real change to tackle the #biodiversity crisis. From securing human rights at the heart of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), to pushing for equitable biodiversity finance and sustainable wildlife management. We’re here to make sure #Indigenous peoples and local communities are recognised as equal partners in reversing the loss of #nature. Watch our round-up of the week to get the inside track 👇 🌎Are you in Cali? Join us and our partners for events providing insights on how turn the GBF into action on-the-ground ➡ https://lnkd.in/eCs3P3EA ➡️ Follow us here on LinkedIn where we'll continue to post daily updates on the critical issues. Dilys Roe Paul Steele Anna Ducros Nicola Sorsby Barbara Lassen Krystyna Iied Jérémy Davis Oliver Arnold-Richards

Yesterday was day 4️⃣ at #COP16, under the theme of Biodiversity and Health. IIED’s Dilys Roe, chair of SULi - IUCN Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group, shared critical insights on how sustainable wildlife management can contribute to ‘One Health’. One Health is a unifying approach that recognises that aims to balance the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment, recognising that these are all interdependent. IIED and IUCN research identified five key pointers for linking sustainable wildlife management and One Health: 1. Prevent and mitigate impacts of human activities on ecosystems  2. Improve pathogen surveillance systems 3. Foster community-based approaches to One Health 4. Traditional knowledge has a key role to play in sustainable wildlife management 5. Implement sustainable wildlife management to towards One Health from local to national levels We hope #COP16Colombia will recognise the importance of the sustainable management of populations of wild species for the health of ecosystems by adopting the draft Global Action Plan on Biodiversity and Health. #biodiversity #health #wildlife #OneHealth

Day 3️⃣ at #COP16 and there was more vibrant discussion of biocredits at the packed 'High level principles for integrity and governance of the biodiversity credit market' panel. The Communities Advisory Panel (CAP) consulted on the development of the high level principles, and members of the panel were in attendance to discuss: "If we are not representing and respecting the communities' governance, then those projects will come to failure," pointed out Hanieh Moghani, Indigenous advocate from Iran. She also commented, “There are so many intermediaries… If people have the mindset of human-rights based approach… when we are making any platform, any initiative… we should include the main people, those with the main rights of governance of the territories. It is a matter of building trust… working with the community on the ground." The event also heard from CAP member Esther Netshivhongweni, an Indigenous leader hailing from the Makuya-Tshetshe and Thengwe-Fundudzi tribes. He commented, "For us, what is important, is governance. Governments, BCA [the Biodiversity Credit Alliance], MDBs, IIED, are now listening to our perspectives… To understand how the western, scientific governance systems must be combined with traditional, indigenous governance systems… We must align indigenous knowledge with scientific methodologies." #COP16Colombia #Indigenous #biodiversity #finance #biocredits

On day 2️⃣ of #COP16 IIED's Paul Steele hosted an event at the Finance & Biodiversity Pavilion on 'Building and scaling biodiversity credit projects led by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant and local communities' with members of the Communities Advisory Panel (CAP), a group of Indigenous Peoples and local communities from around the world who have come together to discuss and influence the emerging biocredit market. At that event Miguel Chindoy, member of the Kamëntšá Indigenous People of Sibundoy, Putumayo, Colombia and member of CAP discussed, "Cultural diversity is linked with biological diversity… The question is, what is the relationship between the Indigenous practices and biodiversity. From when we are born, to our death, our path is linked to biodiversity… We want you to understand that if we are to save the planet we must understand other ways to govern… There are a lot of ways to measure biodiversity… The whole system of knowledge of Indigenous People must be recognised for it’s importance to biodiversity conservation and financial mechanisms must recognise this contribution by Indigenous People. We understand it’s important to unify scientific knowledge and Indigenous knowledge… This type of work needs to be collective and must be in commune. Risks are minimised if decisions are taken in collaboration with the community… We have to balance between rationality and spiritually." #COP16Colombia #Indigenous #biodiversity #biocredits

CLOSING SOON: We are seeking two roles and an audit firm for LIFE-AR. These roles close imminently so find out more and apply now. ⬇ ✅ Project support officer: LIFE-AR (the LDC Initiative for Effective Adaptation and Resilience) is seeking a project support officer on a full-time, two year fixed-term contract. The project support officer will be responsible for the coordination of LIFE-AR events and meetings, supporting the contractual, administrative, logistical, and financial aspects of LIFE-AR, and ensuring the smooth co-ordination of the team and internal systems/processes. Find out more about the role and apply by 23:59 (BST) on 23 October. https://lnkd.in/da627Htu ✅ Data and marketing insights officer (part time): We are seeking a data and marketing insights officer to join our communications group on a part-time basis for a 12-month fixed-term contract. The data and marketing insights officer will co-ordinate, process and present communications data to support the delivery of our data strategy, delivering insights into the impact of our communications work by collecting data from online traffic, user journeys and behaviours across digital platforms and identifying areas for improvement. Apply by 23:59 (BST) on 24 October. https://lnkd.in/e-AwjJ5u ✅ Audit firm for LIFE-AR: The Least Developed Countries Initiative for Effective Adaptation and Resilience (LIFE-AR) is seeking an audit firm to carry out due diligence work. LIFE-AR is a least developed countries (LDC) -led and driven initiative, which serves as one of the primary vehicles for delivering the LDC 2050 Vision for a climate-resilient future. The role would suit audit firms with experience in undertaking due diligence reviews in the context of LDCs, and The Gambia in particular. Find out more and send a proposal by 3 November. https://lnkd.in/eBvXptuG #hiring #admin #ProjectManagement #data #auditing #ApplyNow

Day 1️⃣ at IIED's #COP16 side events: We heard Krystyna Iied share the story of the Kaya people in Kenya who established a Biocultural Heritage Territory (BCHT) to protect and restore their own sacred forests. Funded by the UK Gov (Defra) through the Darwin Initiative, this project is an example of locally-led action which can be scaled up for just and equitable delivery of the #KMGBF target 3. “We approach it as a community-led process, not a project to ensure sustainability… BCHT is very much about devolving power to community… through village elders and leaders” One of the Kaya elder members describe how cultural and spiritual values are important incentives for conservation: “If we accept that we are Rabais and practice our culture then we will protect our forests. But if we adopt other peoples’ way of life that is not going to happen.” Find out more about the project ➡ https://lnkd.in/djuQFbC8 Colleagues at #COP16Colombia have also been checking out the #BiodiversityJenga installation by artist Benjamin Von Wong, which highlights the critical issue of ecosystem degradation and invites us to consider the importance of #restoration. Take a look at the photos!