Biodiversity – Safeguarding our livelihoods
Humans are part of nature and are completely dependent on the diversity of plants and animals for food, shelter, energy, clean water and air, as well as medicine. Human use of nature has resulted in around a quarter of all species being at risk of extinction. Norwegian aid is helping resolve this nature crisis through conservation, restoration and sustainable use of nature.
What
Animal and plant species are disappearing faster than at any other time in human history. Many ecosystems are at risk of collapse and a decreasing part of the world is unaffected by human activity. Norwegian aid for biodiversity contributes to SDGs 14 and 15, Life Below Water and Life on Land. The aid follows up on Norway’s obligations under international agreements such as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The agreement aims to expand natural ecosystems, enhance ecosystem services, ensure the fair and equitable use of genetic resources, and mobilize resources for biodiversity conservation, especially in developing countries.
Conservation and sustainable use of nature is integral in guidelines for Norwegian aid, including Climate, hunger and vulnerability and Joining forces against hunger. Norad’s strategy and environmental action plan emphasise that all aspects of Norwegian aid must contribute to a greener world and conservation of biodiversity. Projects funded by Norad support developing countries in protecting and using ecosystems such as rainforests, mangrove forests and oceans in a sustainable manner.
Why
The nature crisis not only threatens plant and animal life, it also threatens human welfare and existence. It is therefore not possible to achieve the other Sustainable Development Goals without conserving biodiversity. Poor people in developing countries are severely affected by the nature crisis, as they are largely dependent on local natural resources to survive. The decline in pollinating insects threatens a third of global food production, including several useful plants that are cash crops for developing countries. When rainforests, mangrove forests and coral reefs disappear, the local population becomes more vulnerable to extreme weather and climate change. Access to clean water may decrease when wetlands disappear.
The main causes of the nature crisis include land use change (agriculture, urbanisation, forestry), overfishing, climate change, pollution and invasive species. The nature crisis is closely linked to other environmental problems such as the climate crisis, pollution and desertification. The solutions to these problems include win-win solutions (such as the restoration of nature that can store CO2 and protect against the negative impact of climate change) and goal conflicts (such as renewable energy production in vulnerable natural areas). Several of the efforts Norad provides funding to are therefore aimed at climate adaptation and reducing emissions or pollution, as well as biodiversity.
How
Norad’s partners receive support to establish and enforce regulation of natural areas, introducing more sustainable ways in which to use natural resources, combatting environmental crime, increasing biodiversity funding and implementing measures to restore nature. Aid also supports developing countries in improving and implementing nature diversity plans (NBSAPs). Norad supports journalists working to raise knowledge and awareness of the conservation of ecosystems and finances the development of open and accessible digital infrastructure and services that will contribute e.g. to the conservation of nature. Norad also supports efforts to ensure that digital sequence information is used to conserve biodiversity and that the benefits of such knowledge are distributed fairly. Securing land rights, particularly for indigenous peoples, is also important to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. The Norwegian Climate and Forest Initiative, Fish for Development, Oceans for Development and the program to combat marine litter are central programmes administered by Norad that all contribute to biodiversity.
Who/Where
Several of Norad’s key partners in the field of biodiversity are major environmental funds and organisations that work globally, such as UNEP, UNDP, GEF, GCF and IUCN. Civil society organisations that receive support for natural diversity projects include the Rainforest Fund, WWF, the Norwegian Society for the Conservation of Nature, IDH and the International Land and Forest Tenure Facility. Several government institutions in Norway are also important knowledge partners for this aid. Key partner countries include Indonesia, Brazil, Peru, Guyana, DR Congo and Colombia.
Related links
- The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services’ (IPBES) latest global report on biodiversity and ecosystem services
- Convention on Biological Diversity, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework
- IPCC and IPBES’ joint report on the correlations between climate and biodiversity
Contact
For further information, please contact the Section for Nature and Climate.