Svarmi’s Post

🌍 The Global Ecosystems Atlas: Mapping the World's Ecosystems for Action At #COP16, the Global Ecosystems Atlas proof of concept was launched—ushering in a transformative tool to map, monitor, and manage our planet’s ecosystems. Backed by AI and Earth Observation tech, this open-access Atlas is being developed by the Group on Earth Observations (GEO), a partnership of over 100 governments and 150+ organizations. The Global Ecosystems Atlas will: 🗺️ Provide detailed, up-to-date maps of ecosystems worldwide. 🌱 Deliver insights on ecosystem health, risks, and changes for informed action. 🤝 Unite countries and sectors to close data gaps and support biodiversity goals. Vital timing so to: 🌏 Support progress on the Global Biodiversity Framework’s ambitious 30x30 target, aiming to conserve 30% of Earth's land and sea. 📊 Equip businesses with data for natural capital accounting, advancing sustainability goals. 🗺️ Enhance climate action by mapping ecosystems for restoration—currently over 55% of key ecosystem types are under-monitored. With support from the UN and funding commitments from nations like Norway, this Atlas is set to fill critical gaps in nature data so to accelerate global progress. Find out more 👇 https://lnkd.in/e7DVHvUB

April 26, 2024 - By PIK - Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, “Whereas global biodiversity has declined between 2 and 11 percent during the 20th century due to land-use change alone, climate change could become the main driver of biodiversity decline by the mid-21st century. That is the result of the largest modelling study of its kind by more than 50 scientists from over 40 institutions now published in the journal Science. The study was led by the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), with contribution of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). Climate change could become the most important driver of biodiversity loss by mid-century The study is the first model inter-comparison of projections of biodiversity and #ecosystemservices. It uses a set of land-use and #climatechange reconstructions from 1900 to 2015, and three future scenarios from 2015 to 2050. For the latter the researchers assessed three widely-used scenarios – from a sustainable development to a high emissions scenario. Climate change stands to put additional strain on biodiversity and ecosystem services, according to the findings. For all scenarios, the impacts of land-use change and climate change combined result in biodiversity loss in all world regions. “Current policies are insufficient to meet international biodiversity goals”, says Alexander Popp, PIK scientist, Professor for Sustainable Land Use and Climate Mitigation at University of Kassel and co-author of the study. “Much stronger efforts are needed to mitigate human-caused biodiversity loss, one of the largest problems the world is facing.” #climatepolicy #landuse. #biodiversity #ecosystems

My take on the Biodiversity COP that took place in Colombia last month, published by Harvard's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. It's the year of the Rio Trio, and three COPs are happening in successive months on intertwined agendas! Can we pool resources and accelerate progress? There was a negotiated outcome on pursuing policy coherence between the three Conventions on climate, biodiversity, and desertification through a joint work program. But we need speed, to reach 30x30.

International Day for #BiologicalDiversity offers an opportunity to reflect on our stance towards nature. adelphi Senior Manager Christiane Roettger explains that with nearly 70% of global biodiversity lost and up to a million species threatened with extinction, urgent action is needed. Our natural environment is disappearing, yet nature protection remains low on political and media agendas, and faces significant opposition. But we can change this. Through open dialogue, which moves beyond technological fixes and challenges entrenched interests and societal norms, it is possible to change course. Read the full opinion piece here: ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dGSNEVDf UN Environment Programme #BiodiversityDay #PartOfThePlan #SustainableDevelopment

Grant opportunity

🌍 Funding Opportunity: IKI Medium Grants!🌍 Together with the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety, and Consumer Protection, and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, the German Government has launched the fifth call for the IKI Medium Grants! This funding supports innovative, community-driven projects addressing the climate and biodiversity crises in socially just ways. 🌱 Key Details: - Funding Available: EUR 300,000 - 800,000 per project, with up to 12 projects receiving a total of EUR 8 million in public funding. - Duration* 24 - 36 months - Deadline: January 14, 2025 - How to Apply: [IKI Medium Grants https://lnkd.in/gzHK72h3 Thematic Priorities: 1. Ambitious Participatory Climate Action: This theme focuses on participatory measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, specifically through capacity development and piloting innovative concepts in mobility, urban development, and energy. The projects should engage previously underrepresented groups to create a meaningful impact for all. 2. Inclusive Urban Biodiversity Conservation: Projects that integrate biodiversity-friendly solutions into urban settings are encouraged. These measures should protect ecosystems, enhance natural habitats, and provide benefits across communities, contributing to the Paris Agreement and Convention on Biological Diversity If your project empowers communities for sustainable change, don’t miss this opportunity to make a difference. Apply now to help build a resilient, inclusive future! https://lnkd.in/gzHK72h3

Mara University to Host 13th Mara Day Conference on Saturday: A Key Event for Conservation and Climate Resilience Maasai Mara University is set to host the 13th Mara Day Scientific Conference on Saturday, gathering 48 researchers, scientists, and environmental experts from across the globe. This one-day event precedes… #Climate #MaraUniversity #Narok #Sekenani >>> Read more

I just returned from Switzerland where I attended the #VillarsSummit. I made new friends and started new collaborations. The summit focused on action to achieve net-zero and nature-positive goals in tandem. I joined the session brilliantly facilitated by Yana Gevorgyan #GEO on the role of geospatial data. It included compelling talks by Amy Rosenthal and Marco Albani. I shared the work of GEO BON and its support to ramp up biodiversity monitoring for the UN CBD. Biodiversity is a multifaceted class of geospatial data that countries must gather to report progress toward the UN climate and biodiversity goals. The session stimulated rich discussion on key questions: How can we mainstream biodiversity data into different sectors of society? How can we translate the data (via FAIR and CARE principles) into reliable and trustworthy knowledge that can be used to guide conservation action? As I write from the train home, I am mulling over some key issues we heard on planetary boundaries. I left thinking about how local communities can respond to biodiversity and climate change in tandem. What information and resources do they need? Climate change (CC) is increasing the risk of extinction (local and global) of many species. We are imposing a game of climate winners and losers on all species and we don’t fully understand what the endgame will look like. Ecosystem degradation is also a huge source of carbon emissions. Approx. 70 Gt C could be emitted by 2050 due to land use and soil degradation (~17% of annual GHG emissions). Damaged or drained peatlands emit at least 2 Gt/yr — ~5% GHG emissions. Emissions from managed grasslands cancel the net climate cooling from the C sinks in lightly grazed and natural grasslands. But what is the specific contribution of #biodiversity? We know that protecting and restoring biodiverse ecosystems can maintain C sinks. For example, forest ecosystems with greater tree diversity tend to be more productive and more stable, providing a greater C sink. While in the oceans, phytoplankton diversity (e.g. diatoms) contributes to the biological carbon pump that sends carbon to the bottom of the ocean.   Modeled scenarios show that countries that will incur the greatest economic damages from climate change impacts will benefit the most from biologically diverse forest ecosystems. We need massive investment in biodiverse nature-based solutions (NBS). Our company, Habitat, offers the science needed to support NBS projects (120+ so far). Ecosystem restoration can contribute 1/3 of the GHG mitigation needed between now and 2030 to stabilize climate change below 2°C. We must invest more in the implementation of NBS projects - we have a window to address the risks and realize huge co-benefits for climate, biodiversity, and society. Thank you to Lee Howell, Emma Benameur, MBA, and The Villars Institute team for such an engaging meeting. Photo: David Obura speaking about inequality and sustainability.

🌍 New Publication Alert!  I’m excited to share that our latest research article has been published in One Earth. https://lnkd.in/esraBqjT Our research addresses the critical and intertwined crises of biodiversity loss and climate change, which threaten ecosystems and human well-being globally. We highlight that global biodiversity targets, such as protecting 30% of the Earth’s surface by 2030, may not be sufficient without strong climate change mitigation efforts. Our findings show that conservation through protected areas can effectively preserve forest productivity and carbon capture, which are dependent on tree diversity. However, without significant climate change mitigation, the effectiveness of these protected areas, especially in warmer biomes, is compromised. This underscores the urgent need to integrate climate change mitigation into biodiversity conservation policies to ensure the success of the 30 × 30 targets and sustain the ecosystem benefits biodiversity provides to society.

Revised thematic papers exploring integrated solutions to climate and biodiversity released ahead of Rio Conventions 2024 triple-COPs Before the Convention on Biological Diversity's 16th Conference of the Parties (CBD COP16) and three weeks before the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC COP29), GIZ/IISD/UFZ have released two revised papers on linkages and synergies between biodiversity and climate policy frameworks. Part of a series of thematic papers aimed at enhancing the understanding and policy uptake of integrated solutions to the climate and biodiversity crises, the papers have been updated to address policy developments in the last biennium. They highlight legal and policy mechanisms and tools that can support synergies between the CBD and the UNFCCC, as well as opportunities for synergetic international policy action and coordinated national-level implementation of climate and biodiversity commitments in the triple "Rio Conventions" COP year 2024 and beyond. The Rio Conventions refer collectively to CBD, UNFCCC and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), which also addresses land degradation. All three were agreed following the Rio+20 Earth Summit held in 1992. The revised papers - "Synergies Between Biodiversity and Climate Policy Frameworks - A Series of Thematic Papers - Adaptation Community"   "Thematic Paper 1: Linkages and Synergies Between International Instruments on Biodiversity and Climate Change - Adaptation Community" - are available at: https://lnkd.in/eyN4Akuy