[ PROTECTING BIODIVERSITY PROTECTING OUR FUTURE ]
Biodiversity is the amazing variety of life on Earth.
It is every living thing –
plants,
micro-organisms,
animals
and us!
Biodiversity forms the foundation of the vast array of ecosystem services
that are critical to human well-being.
[ ECOSYSTEM SERVICES HELP: PURIFY THE AIR / REGULATE THE CLIMATE / PURIFY WATER / POLLINATE CROPS ]
But biodiversity is under threat.
Human activity has degraded our natural resources.
Our cities are overpopulated and polluted.
We are polluting our oceans.
We are clearing forests for agriculture and development.
Our actions have altered ecosystems, accelerating species decline, habitat loss and climate change.
Science tells us that biodiversity – the foundation of our economies, livelihoods, food security and health – is rapidly declining.
[ HUMAN POPULATION HAS DOUBLED SINCE 1970 TO 7.6 BILLION ]
[ 70% OF LANDSCAPES AND 60% OF MARINE ENVIRONMENTS HAVE BEEN ALTERED BY HUMAN ACTIONS ]
A recent UN report based on studies by experts from more than 50 countries provides a comprehensive picture of the relationship
between unsustainable economic development pathways and their impacts on nature.
- The U.N. has warned that up to one million plant and animal species are on the verge of extinction.
- More species are now threatened with extinction than at any other point in human history.
- And are likely to go extinct within decades unless their habitats are restored.
Glaciers are melting.
Sea levels are rising.
[ 16 - 21CM RISE IN THE GLOBAL AVERAGE SEA LEVEL SINCE 1990 ]
Communities around the world are experiencing more frequent floods, hurricanes and typhoons
causing detrimental loss and damage to human life and the economy.
[ 100 - 300 MILLION PEOPLE ARE AT INCREASED RISK OF FLOODS AND HURRICANES DUE TO LOSS OF COASTAL HABITATS AND PROTECTION ]
Wildlife poaching and habitat loss are threatening species into extinction.
[ UP TO 1 MILLION SPECIES ARE THREATENED WITH EXTINCTION ]
By burning fossil fuels, we are polluting our air and raising the Earth’s temperature.
[ 800 MILLION PEOPLE GLOBALLY ARE ALREADY SUFFERING THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ]
The world is on course for a 3.7-4.8°C temperature increase by year 2100,
which would cause catastrophic and irreparable damage,
wiping away coastlines
and turning our forests into savannahs.
The Paris Agreement aims to keep the global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels,
and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
[ NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE ]
The good news: The solution is all around us.
The planet is equipped with a powerful tool for stabilising the climate — nature itself.
Nature-based solutions harness the power of nature to reduce harmful carbon from our atmosphere.
Mangroves,
peatlands
and tropical forests store vast amounts of carbon by absorbing it from the air.
[ TREES CAN PROVIDE 30% OF CLIMATE MITIGATION ]
If protected and restored, these ecosystems could provide at least one third of the solution
needed to prevent the worst climate change scenarios.
But if they are destroyed or degraded, the carbon they store would be released back into the atmosphere,
further contributing to climate change.
Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, so releasing more of it into the atmosphere
could affect the balance of the global carbon cycle
and further contribute to climate change.
For all of our sake, we must seek the end of the loss of high-carbon ecosystems,
and help degraded ecosystems recover, so that nature can be part of our solution.
By replanting degraded areas, we can restore them to health and absorb carbon from the air.
By teaching farmers to farm sustainably, they can embrace farming practices that avoid clearing forests for next year’s crop.
By uniting many stakeholders, from communities, to government, and the private sector,
we can invest in nature and protect large carbon-rich ecosystems at scale.
It’s a win-win.
By restoring, protecting and managing the nature that we all depend on — we can help stop the climate crisis.
Join us to discover the value and wonders of biodiversity.