Biodiversity loss and climate change are closely linked and need to be tackled together, so emphasized scholars and policymakers at a sideline forum of the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) held in Kunming, China on October 14.

"Climate change and biodiversity loss are closely related challenges and we cannot fight one crisis without also addressing the other," Nathalie Seddon, professor of biodiversity at the University of Oxford and an invited speaker at the forum, told National Business Daily ("NBD" hereinafter).

As the UN Climate Change Conference is set to begin on October 31 in Glasgow, UK, promoting coordinated efforts on tackling biodiversity loss and climate change became a hot topic at COP15.

Professor Seddon is a respected expert in this field. In 2017, she founded Nature-based Solutions Initiative, which combines insights from natural and social sciences to understand and conserve biodiversity, and study how these biodiversity efforts can help with climate change adaptation and mitigation. 

The Initiative has since become a frequent advisor for decision-makers in business, government and civil society. Professor Seddon is a Friend of COP26, which is a title given to around 30 global experts advising the UK government on its Presidency of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26).

During COP15, NBD had an interview with Professor Seddon, who shared insights on how nature-based solutions can mitigate biodiversity loss and climate change, as well as her expectations for the coming COP26.

Nathalie Seddon Photo/Website of University of Oxford 

NBD: How can biodiversity and tackling climate change work in synergy?

Nathalie Seddon: Climate change and biodiversity loss are closely related challenges and we cannot fight one crisis without also addressing the other.

This recognition arises from the knowledge that biodiversity loss and climate change share some of the same drivers. In particular, land-use change (such as deforestation to make way for agriculture) is a major source of greenhouse gases emissions whilst also being the biggest driver of biodiversity declines on land. As such, implementation of nature-based solutions (such as protecting and restoring natural ecosystems) can, in theory, both limit global temperature rise while stemming the tide of biodiversity loss.

NBD: The nature-based solution (NbS) is an innovative idea. Can you explain it in a more detailed way, and offer an example of this approach?

Nathalie Seddon: Nature-based solutions are actions that involve working with the natural world to simultaneously deliver benefits for people and biodiversity. They include the restoration, connection, and protection of natural and semi-natural ecosystems on land and in the sea; the sustainable management of working lands and seascapes, including croplands and timberlands; and the establishment of new ecosystems such as bringing nature, or "green infrastructure" into our towns and cities.

For example, protecting ecosystems along coasts defend against storm surges, saltwater intrusion, and erosion (e.g., kelp, seagrass, saltmarshes, coral, and oyster reefs); restoring forests and wetlands secures and regulates water supplies, shields communities and infrastructure from floods, erosion and landslides; nature‐based agriculture such agroforestry or floating gardens can increase resilience of food supplies to pests, diseases and climate extremes; and green and blue infrastructure in cities help with cooling and flood abatement, while reducing air pollution, providing health benefits. All these actions also help draw down and store carbon and so help with cooling. 

However, NbS is not an alternative to rapid phase-out of fossil fuel use. If fossil fuels are not kept in the ground, the resultant warming will increase forest fires and turn nature into a net source of greenhouse gases. So we need to scale up NbS and decarbonise the economy. It is not an either-or.

NBD: What kind of carbon offset practices actually harm biodiversity?

Nathalie Seddon: Commercial forestry plantations, especially with single non-native species, harm biodiversity, compromise water supplies, and are short-term high-risk carbon stores. Much of the wood products are short-lived and because they are monocultures and they have low resilience to climate change impacts.

NBD: For the coming COP26, how should biodiversity goals be included in the discussions?

Nathalie Seddon: For COP26 to be a successful COP for biodiversity, we want to see the following:

1) The COP26 decision text acknowledges the critical importance of biodiverse ecosystems in general (not only forests) in climate change mitigation and adaptation and it would commit to joint work programs on climate change and biodiversity loss by the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) and the Convention on Biological Diversity.  

2) Parties commit to increased ambition for nature in their revised or new Nationally Determined Contributions and National Adaptation Plans—in addition to, and not instead of, increasing ambition on emissions reductions. Such commitments would involve evidence-based targets for improved protection and restoration of a wide range of ecosystems, with an emphasis on both biodiversity and human rights, underpinned by tractable, verifiable, and properly financed action plans.

3) Widespread adoption of clear, evidence-based standards for demand and supply of carbon sequestration by nature-based solutions to ensure biodiversity and equity benefits (in addition to permanent carbon storage), such as those outlined in the NbS Guidelines discussed in this digest.  

4) Robust commitments to defund ecosystem loss and damage from commodity supply chains by 2025.

5) Pledges for increased finance for biodiversity-based and people-led NbS from governments, multilateral development banks, funding mechanisms under the UNFCCC, among others.

Email: gaohan@nbd.com.cn