The Fifth Science Policy Forum for Biodiversity and The Eighth International Conference on Sustainability Science, COP15
IUBS Sessions, quick links
Biodiversity-Inclusive One health: Future solutions, learning from experience
Valuing, measuring and reporting on ecosystem services
What capacity building digital sequence information can offer
Sustainability & food systems/ agriculture: Scaling-up and measuring sustainability
12 December 2022, Montréal, Canada
Restoration, connectivity, ecological integrity. How to effectively achieve and measure restoration and functionality recovery
Organizer: IUBS
Introduction:
Ecological restoration is one of the main strategies proposed to bend the curve of biodiversity loss. Several challenges arise when trying to implement it at more than pilot experiences. Integration of connectivity, how to measure restoration in human modified landscapes, functionality recovery and how to ensure wide participation, including private sector (synergies with other Rio conventions).
Speakers:
Mr. Nestor Fernandez, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv); NaturaConnect
Mr. Piero Visconti, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
Mr. Michel Labrecque, Conservateur Jardin Botanique de Montréal; Associate Professor – Université de Montréal
Ms. Carly Cowell, Head of Science Policy Unit, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens
Ms. Robin Chazdon, “Leveraging natural regeneration in the tropics to achieve large-scale forest restoration”
Moderators: Ms. Lily O. Rodríguez, International Union of Biological Science – IUBS, Mr. Néstor Fernández, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research – iDiv
Key messages from the session
- Restoration can provide multiple benefits and achievement of targets: securing land, increasing biodiversity, capacity building and socio-economic benefits.
- Local restoration planning and action need to be matched to large-scale connectivity planning. This requires that spatial planning fully acknowledges the connections between local restoration and regional to global contributions to biodiversity and ecosystem services.
- Participatory approaches are key to restoration success. Approaches integrating participatory approaches with spatially-explicit scenario modeling and projections are needed in order to support spatial planning solutions.
- Ecological restoration, large-scale connectivity restoration, and ecological integrity restoration are needed to sustain biodiversity and resilient ecosystems in a changing world. Achieving Nature Positive requires a portfolio of restoration approaches that can be applied over large geographic areas. Rewilding and natural regeneration approaches have been proven as cost-effective approaches to deliver biodiversity benefits at large scale.
- Being aware of the spatial impacts of policies and decision making is essential, as is the collection and presentation of data in a spatially-explicit way.
- We can pursue multiple targets together to achieve the best possible outcomes, and need to do so in order to realize the full potential of the targets and prevent unnecessary environmental degradation.
- Scientists need to be cognizant of the interactions between biodiversity and carbon sequestration to ensure that policy options can find the perfect match.
- Brownfield sites can and should be remediated and this can be achieved through the use of plants in phytoremediation processes, for the benefit of nature and local communities.
- Restoration has to be effective, efficient and engaging in order to work and ensure that positive action is taken.