It’s Time to Take Stock of Nature

Dear Parties,

We are almost halfway through this critical decade to deliver the goals of the Paris Agreement, the Global Biodiversity Framework and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. But, increasingly evidence reveals a distressing gap between Party climate and biodiversity commitments and the public implementation plans, budgets and practical pipeline of projects on the ground.

While commitments are underway, the pace of transformational change is concerning. We, the undersigned non-state actor leaders, urgently call on governments to publicly commit and disclose their plans to deliver and support others to meet their commitments, through detailed effective plans with budgets, finance and outlines of regulatory reforms. All essential if we are to meet the scale and pace of action required while protecting the rights of the Indigenous and local communities on the ground.

It is Time to Take Stock of Nature.

Nature-based climate solutions have the capacity to provide one third of the global mitigation required by 2030 to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. These measures must complement decarbonization efforts, not replace them. They must also include adaptation measures to support Indigenous and local communities to continue to conserve nature, while helping ecosystems build resilience to rising temperatures and climate disasters.

Today, over half of joint commitments on nature-based solutions (NbS) show evidence of little no progress at all. Alarmingly, only 11% of these commitments prioritise Indigenous Peoples and local communities, despite managing at least one quarter of the world’s lands and 80% of the world’s biodiversity.

We, a group of non-state actors across business, finance, Indigenous Peoples and local communities’ organizations and civil society, are agents of change who are critical to the delivery of climate, biodiversity and land 2030 targets.

We are deeply concerned that commitments made at the climate COPs are not being transformed into effective delivery plans, budgets, safeguards and regulatory reforms. Therefore, to achieve all global climate and biodiversity targets, we are calling on Parties to put nature, and the communities stewarding the biodiversity we have left, at the heart of the Global Stocktake by:

1. Publicly announcing and publishing plans for implementation of NbS, including policy, regulatory and budget commitments for the next five years to deliver these solutions at scale.
2. Committing to collaborate with other Parties to deliver finance and share technical support targeted to deliver the greatest impact to protect, manage and restore nature whilst simultaneously empowering and benefiting communities.
3. Implementing ambitious regulatory safeguards which center Indigenous Peoples and local communities and are legally bound by the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. This includes ensuring the equitable delivery of any investment, including high integrity NbS, through rights-based approaches including Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).
4. Establishing mandatory and voluntary measures to create a level playing field and incentives for businesses and financial institutions to scale their investments towards a nature-positive, net-zero economy.

We must continue to increase ambition on NbS alongside decarbonization efforts, increasing ambition and enhancing Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs). Only by aligning with the science will we ensure ambitions related to the Paris Agreement 1.5°C imperative and Global Biodiversity Framework imperative to halt and reverse nature loss together.

We know every fraction of a degree matters. Every year that goes by without effective implementation plans to match commitments, we risk planetary and human health, especially for those on the front line such as Indigenous and local communities and who play a fundamental role in combating the risks we face.*

The first Global Stocktake at COP28 is a vital course-correcting moment. We hope the Global Stocktake will jump start the implementation of win-win solutions already identified within the technical assessment. It provides a unique opportunity to show political leadership, unlock private investment pipelines that will protect, sustainably manage and restore natural or modified ecosystems, ensure the wellbeing of Indigenous and local communities in the implementation of nature-positive solutions, and enhance new and additional Official Development Assistance (ODA) investments for developing countries that include their need to adapt to the changing climate.

The protection, management and restoration of nature must be done in collaboration with and with respect for the communities who live in and protect these landscapes and seascapes, with transparency and with integrity. If we use this moment to harness the power of collective and immediate action, we can set ourselves and the planet on the road to recovery. This is what must be done, if we are to bring about the transformational change scientists and society are calling for.

Yours sincerely,