COP16 is putting the Global Biodiversity Framework to the test
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As an ecologist, I’ve spent much of my career seeking to understand the delicate balance of our ecosystems and climate dynamics, and working to get them to a stable, good state, amidst global ambitions for development. As we approach COP16, I am filled with hope and worry in equal measure.
The hope lies in the potential of the landmark agreement reached at the last COP summit in Montreal – the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). 195 countries signed-up to its targets, including restoring 30% of all degraded ecosystems, and conserving 30% of Land, Waters and Seas by 2030. It was a huge win for biodiversity.
The worry, however, is exemplified in the news announced this week that 80% of the countries that committed to submit their plans for meeting the agreement have failed to do so. With this year’s summit focused on implementation and action, there is urgent work to be done.
From beaver management to knowledge-sharing – we have the solutions to tackle biodiversity loss
In my day-to-day work, I am seeing the desire to do more to protect and improve biodiversity – which makes the failure of so many nations to submit their plans against the GBF so frustrating.
From private companies to local governments and municipalities – there is a growing shift to putting the planet at the heart of projects and designs. And in the work of my colleagues around the world at Royal HaskoningDHV, I see the ways this is possible and the many different forms that supporting biodiversity can take.
In the Netherlands, for example, we have supported a region-wide habitat management plan for the provinces of Groningen and Drenthe, which included the evaluation of beaver management aimed at providing water safety and a stable habitat for the animals, while protecting the region’s infrastructure.
Elsewhere in the UK, which has set a strong tone on biodiversity with their Biodiversity Net Gain policy, we’ve been part of an award-winning project with the National Trust to protect and regenerate an endangered saltmarsh that surrounds Northey Island in Essex.
Our detailed design for the work used dredged sediment and a technique known as “managed realignment”. This was designed to raise and regenerate existing saltmarsh, adapt local tidal processes to reduce erosion and allow saltmarsh plants to migrate further inland to improve biodiversity.
Supporting biodiversity isn’t just about expanding and protecting existing habitats but finding opportunities to create new ones within development. For example, in South Africa, we worked on a housing project where we added value by proposing additional green spaces for the benefit of both people and local species.
Enhancing Society Together – more than a mission
At Royal HaskoningDHV, as an engineering and consultancy company, we understand that companies like ours have a key role in spatial development, and therefore in protecting and safeguarding biodiversity. From building bridges and train stations to writing nature management plans and helping optimise safety and dynamics of river systems, we quite literally shape the world in the work that we do.
That is why we have put such importance on our mission, to Enhance Society Together. And in recent years, we have worked to build this mission into a philosophy that weaves through everything we do. While using breakthroughs like the Global Biodiversity Framework to help us reinforce the importance of that philosophy within our own teams, and the clients we work for.
Bringing that philosophy to life started with identifying five core themes that make up Enhancing Society Together and align with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals – from Resources & Circularity and Safety & Wellbeing to my theme, Biodiversity & Natural Systems.
Today, we grade each of our projects – regardless of the form, contractor, or project size – against these themes and make having ‘a positive impact’ the standard goal across them. It is a means to help us drive improvements in our projects for the benefit of society – but also understand when we need to say ‘no’ to a project because of its negative impacts.
Biodiversity loss is a loss for us all
The short-term impacts of saying no to potential business for us as a company, is immediately dwarfed by the scope of the biodiversity crisis we face.
Today, more than 45,000 species are threatened by extinction according to the IUCN’s Red List. That’s more than a quarter of all species assessed. Meanwhile, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned that 90% of the world’s topsoil – needed to grow 95% of our food – is likely to be at risk by 2050.
Biodiversity is the sustaining lifeforce of our planet and our society. It feeds our agriculture and food systems; it supports the lives of thousands of species, and it is a vital part of our natural defence against climate change. Its loss is a loss for us all.
Each COP brings the opportunity to secure big changes. Across the globe, we have the opportunity to really commit to a healthier, sustainable future, where our place on earth goes hand in hand with nature.
