Action alert: join us to oppose nature-based solutions greenwash on International Day for Biological Diversity

May 22nd is International Day for Biological Diversity, and the theme chosen by the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) this year is “Our solutions are in nature”. This is a clear reference to increasingly popular nature-based solutions (NBS) as a strategy for mitigating climate change and biodiversity loss. NBS as a concept has gained a lot of momentum over the last few years. Unfortunately, it has been twisted by corporations, governments and intergovernmental organizations to falsely re-brand highly damaging practices as “green”.

#OurNatureIsNotYourSolution aims to denounce false solutions to the climate and biodiversity crises and the corporate capture of policy-making. International day for Biological Diversity is especially important this year because it marks the end of the 2011-2020 Strategic Plan on Biodiversity and its 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and the end of the 2011-2020 United Nations Decade on Biodiversity.

We are asking our member groups and allies to join us in a social media campaign to oppose many of the false solutions and greenwashing attempts that shelter under the NBS umbrella, and to showcase ecosystem-based, community-led and gender-responsive approaches that are of far more benefit to the climate, biodiversity and communities.

As part of this campaign, we are launching a special NBS edition of our magazine Forest Cover (sign up to our email list and be the first to receive it on the 22nd!), written in collaboration with our member groups. Forest Cover highlights how hype around NBS is being used as cover for pushing forest offsets, monoculture tree plantations and other false solutions, and also provides examples of the real solutions that our members in Colombia, Ghana, Nepal, Panama, Paraguay and Sri Lanka are engaged in.

We would love it if you could help us spread the word and amplify this campaign: join us on May 22nd to defend ecosystems and the people that depend on them from carbon markets, forest offsets and industrial tree plantations!

Our social media pack has everything you need to get involved in the campaign.

16 May, 2020
Posted in Supporting Community Conservation, Forests and Climate Change