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Sports & Nature, an innovative approach to deliver on 2030 agenda

J-O Massaï_Kenya ©Thierry_Marsilhac2
A lever to raise awareness and mobilise youth and the general public worldwide at both international and national levels


Sport is proving to be a powerful driver for development and transformative change, transcending national (and cultural) borders. Sport is a force that can go beyond stadiums and arenas to have a direct impact on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set out in the United Nations’ Agenda 2030. Sports can present an important lever to implement the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), recently renamed The Biodiversity Plan, especially by mobilizing the whole-of-society, as pointed out in its Target 22.

Crossed-issues : Sports & Biodiversity

More than just a physical activity, sport embodies universal values and acts as a powerful lever for sustainable development and the preservation of nature. Opened to everyone, it is also a powerful lever for mobilising the whole of society, bringing people together around the same values, such as cooperation and dialogue, social well-being and inclusiveness, equality and justice, and of course health, which is inextricably linked to nature and the planet we live on.

During COP15 in December 2022 our project took part at the Side Event organized by IUCN entitled “Sports for Nature: A new pathway for sports to achieve nature-positive action“. At that time already, the launch of this initiative showed how and why sport is in a unique and untapped position to galvanise the action the world environmental needs, thanks to its enormous reach and influence, and as a genuine connector of people with nature.

Road to COP 16 – Sports as a tool to inspire change 

This year coinciding with the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris and COP16 on Biodiversity in Cali, Colombia, we have released a publication highlighting the strong connection between sport and nature.

Entitled “From fields to forests: Sports’ Role in Biodiversity Protection” this paper developed with Play for Nature and the IUCN initiative Sports for Nature as well as with the support of Fair Play for Planet, shows how and why sports can raise awareness of how people and nature are intimately connected. It also illustrates that sport events are great opportunities for the sport and conservation communities to work together towards the same goals.

Moreover, in the run-up to the Paris Olympic Games, the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, and the President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, will host the Sport for Sustainable Development (S4SD) Summit: Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together For a Better Future, in Paris on the eve of the opening of the Games, on Thursday 25 July.

TRANSFORMATIVE ACTIONS. CONVERGENCE #43 (4)
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The Summit will bring together more than 500 participants: Heads of State and government, leaders of international organizations, athletes and representatives of the sports movement (French and International Federations, Olympic Movement, civil society organisations and entrepreneurs), and actors in the field of sports and development financing.

The participants will be invited to present their initiatives for sport and sustainable development and to make commitments in five fields – mirroring the Olympic rings:

  • Education and employment,
  • Health and nutrition,
  • Equality and inclusion,
  • Financing and impact measurement,
  • Sustainability and legacy

Sports for Nature Framework

While there is an urgent need to act across all parts of society, sports have a unique opportunity to address the nature crisis.

Sports for Nature is a joint initiative of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), International Olympic Committee (IOC), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and Sails of Change. It aims to deliver transformative action for nature across sports, by 2030 and beyond, enabling sports to champion nature and contribute to its protection and restoration. The initiative provides a game plan for sports — at all levels — to accelerate and inspire others to take action for nature.

Sports for Nature is explicitly included in the “Paris Agreement” (Commitment 10).

Fair Play for Planet – first eco-responsible label

Intended for sport clubs, events and sites, the FPFP label was developed in cooperation with ADEME, the French Agency for Ecological Transition. Based around thanks to a comprehensive approach of the fight against global warming. It allows sport organizations to improve their economic development model while taking care of people and environment.

Play for Nature

Play for Nature was founded in 2013 and is recognized as a public benefit and humanitarian organization. Member of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), it is involved in the preservation of endangered species and their ecosystems in France and around the world. The endowment fund aim is to protect endangered species and their ecosystems on all five continents.



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