To emphasize the necessity of whole-of-government action for mainstreaming biodiversity, Post 2020 Biodiversity Framework – EU Support held an event during the UNFCCC COP28 in Dubai.
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMBGF), approved in December 2022 as a roadmap towards 2030, commits to implementing transformative changes to tackle the biodiversity and climate crises and to promote equality. This realigns the three dimensions of sustainable development by focusing on the environmental and climate aspects without minimizing the social and economic ones.
Subnational and Local Governments’ leading role for achieving transformative actions
The KMGBF recognizes the instrumental role of SNLGs to ensure its implementation at regional and local levels, notably through its Target 12, on biodiversity inclusive urban planning.
In this context, the regional level (both the Latin American and Caribbean region, and the Central American region) can play a major role in tackling both the climate and biodiversity crises. In addition, regional initiatives are a powerful vehicle for promoting multi-sectoral and multi-level collaboration and involving a wide palette of stakeholders.
Several organizations provided their expertise and shared their practical experience during this discussion, moderated by Hugo RIVERA MENDOZA, Team Leader, Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework – EU Support:
- Nicolas CHENET, Director of the Sustainable Development Department, Expertise France, who provided some opening remarks highlighting the region’s great potential to be a driving force in initiatives to tackle the climate & biodiversity crises.
- Nazareth PORRAS, Operational Manager – Sustainable Development Cooperation, Delegation of the European Union in Costa Rica, who took to the floor to highlight the implication of the EU Delegation in Costa Rica in carrying out concrete biodiversity initiatives in the country.
- Jorge PICADO BARBOZA, Senior expert, Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework – EU Support, who pointed our Costa Rica’s tangible progress towards achieving the KMGBF.
- Victor ALVARADO, Senior expert, Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework – EU Support, who stressed the need to include biodiversity in national planning strategies.
- Santiago LORENZO, Head of the Economics of Climate Change Unit, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), underlining the importance of a “whole-of-society” approach for an effective implementation of the KMGBF.
- Maria Ines RIVADENEIRA, Regional Policy Coordinator for LAC, WWF, who underscored the vital role of biodiversity & its interconnection with all sectors to ensure a sustainable future.
To bring to a close this very enjoyable event, which provided an opportunity for a wide range of exchanges & sharing of experiences, Hugo RIVERA MENDOZA, our Project’s Team Leader, underlined our pleasure in supporting initiatives to promote biodiversity in the LAC region.
A long-term collaboration in Latin America and the Caribbean to achieve a nature positive impact
Since June 2023, the Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework – EU Support project has been working with the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), to strengthen processes and visions at a regional level whilst involving relevant actors from government, the private sector, multilateral organizations, the UN systems, academia and civil society and supporting the integration of biodiversity and innovative governance for transformative change.
In the same momentum, our project has been assisting Costa Rica (National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC); the Costa Rica Forever Association and the Ministry of Environment and Energy) with the identification of priority sites for ecosystems’ restoration and the update of the analysis of marine-coastal conservation gaps.
Since October 2022 Costa Rica has been developing an updated inventory of the main sites of importance for conservation and management of marine, coastal, and oceanic spaces. Set up as a series of dialogues, this participatory process involved various actors including civil society, academia, and the productive sector (fisheries). It allowed for the identification of 35 sites to be considered for conservation or sustainable management practices.
These examples have provided valuable lessons for the entire Latin American and the Caribbean region.
