Nature Based Solutions Political Uptake: What is at stake?

The political momentum and uptake of the Nature-based Solutions (NbS) over the past few years and especially in 2022, when it was officially recognised by UNEA 5.2, creates a great opportunity for further recognition of NbS at the UNFCCC, CBD and UNCCD COPs. If NbS are recognised in the three Rio Conventions, they can support addressing the intertwined crises of biodiversity loss, climate change and land degradation simultaneously and can create greater coherence and alignment across these three processes. This can also allow governments to ensure greater oversight and accountability on the use and application of NbS. Formal recognition can also help overcome other structural barriers that are often found in the financing of NbS and provide the regulatory policy framework needed for them to succeed. Conversely, failure to recognise the concept poses a risk in several areas. In this session, we will aim to explore (1) the opportunities of recognising NbS in UNFCCC, CBD and UNCCD; (2) the risk of not doing so in the three conventions.