This blog post is authored by Damya Srivastava and Oluwaseun Adekugbe
After the recent gathering of world leaders at the 15th UN-CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity) Conference of Parties (COP); we saw a rising focus on the global crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource use. Nature based Solutions (NbS) can help reduce its effects to a large degree, but only if it is implemented properly and covers the voices of all its stakeholders.
YOUTH4NATURE AT COP15
Youth4Nature (Y4N) organised an event at the UN CBD COP-15 in Montreal, Canada, titled “Youth and Nature Based Solutions: What is at Stake?”, where we revisited the Global Youth Statement on NbS. Speakers from Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN) and Youth4Nature (Y4N) discussed the concept of NbS - how the term is used and what it truly embodies - and what we as young people are looking for in NbS policy implementation.
Youth interaction and discussion during the event
The purpose was two-fold, first to serve as a reminder of the content of the NbS statement and its process; and second, to introduce the youth info brief in order to set the scene regarding our demands and concerns related to NbS policy for COP15. As a result, Y4N was able to 1) share their NbS work and facilitate knowledge transfer related to NbS, providing the youth community with resources to meaningfully participate at and beyond COP15 and 2) gather in-depth insight from the global youth community on a Rights-Based Approach to NbS.
Event recap
An array of policy and NbS youth experts from Youth4Nature and the Global Biodiversity Youth Network spoke at the event, including Julia Bethe, Policy & Advocacy Lead at Youth4Nature, Mirna Ines Fernandez, GYBN Policy Coordinator, Derrick Mugisha, Regional Director Africa at EARTHDAY and Regional Africa Coordinator at GYBN Uganda, and Oluwaseun Adekugbe, Managing Director at Youth4Nature.
Among the common themes from the general audience regarding NbS were greenwashing, equitable financing, meaningful youth engagement and participation in the GBF, setting national targets for biodiversity conservation, and ensuring that people are aware of the social aspects of NbS.
Youth panellists Julia Bethe, Mirna Ines Fernández, and Derrick Mugisha (left to right) during "Youth and Nature Based Solutions: What is at Stake?" organised by Youth4Nature at CBD COP 15.
Rights based approach in the NbS Space
It was important to discuss a right-based approach to NbS in this space. In addition to discussing the contents of the NbS policy statement, one of our goals was to advocate for the inclusion of meaningful support for youth and other underrepresented/intersectional identities. We stressed rights-based approaches for the explicit connections between nature and climate in global environmental governance and decision-making, within the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), through policy positions and knowledge-sharing work.
One of our key messages was No co-option, no false solutions, which is the concept that NbS is a new term for an old idea, and is vulnerable to greenwashing. According to Mirna Ines Fernandez, one of our panellists, a number of youth environmental activists believe that NbS would be a false promise if it does not address the root causes of biodiversity loss, environmental degradation, and climate change. Additionally, youths at the event demanded the identification of the main drivers of these threats. The idea is to incorporate both the rights of people and the rights of nature into policies that are implemented. This is what we refer to as NbS.
A focus on Global nbs youth statement
The discussion focused on NbS and its direct relation to our 2nd objective, to promote the Global NbS Youth Statement, ensure that youth voices are included in NbS discourses and debates, call out false solutions and greenwashing, and if NbS are to be incorporated in the post-2020 GBF, ensure it aligns with the Statement’s messages of rights and justice.
Check out the Global Youth Position Statement on NbS to support your nature and climate advocacy efforts.
Regarding NbS implementation, Derrick Emmanuel Mugisha said, "On the ground, people are planting trees for economic gain. In order to solve their problem quickly, we plant the wrong trees at the wrong time, and we do not listen to communities." To this point, he noted that most of the funds provided to NbS do not benefit the communities themselves who are the true rights-holders. Additionally, Derrick stated that millions of people would lose their lives, thousands of species would become extinct, and ecological integration would continue to decline, leading to a major disaster in the future if the right actions are not taken. One critical solution, brought out by this discussion, is to educate people about ecosystem-based nature and the interrelationship between humans and the environment. This climate crisis can be solved if we follow these principles. Derrick concluded with the optimistic remark, "I am hopeful about these practices, and if we adopt these tools, we will be able to restore our native species.”
Bridging policy gaps with nbs
Regarding the policy aspect, Mirna Ines Fernandez stated that instead of a blame game, all stakeholders need to come together to work towards a sustainable coexistence. We need academia to be allies, to amplify youth and grassroots voices, and to promote rights-based approaches to influence policy within NbS.
“We need academia to be allies, to amplify youth and grassroots voices, and to push for rights-based approaches & meaningful engagement in NbS”.
-Mirna Ines Fernández, GYBN, COP15
Mirna concluded by stating that in order to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, real collaboration and partnership are required, especially with indigenous peoples whom these policies would affect most. In addition, policy implementation requires transformational change, innovation, and proper accounting for nature's value in decision-making across all sectors.
Next steps in the nbs space
The panellists also discussed the possible outcomes of COP15 so far. Derrick highlighted that everyone, including youths need increased access to resources and that actors must be held accountable for their actions. According to Julia Bethe, in order for NbS to be incorporated into the COP15 text, it must be aligned with the UNEP definition, and explicitly grounded in safeguards for people and nature, as well as rights-based approaches.
“If NbS is to be included in the #COP15 text, it must be aligned with the UNEP definition, and it must be explicitly grounded in safeguards for people and nature, and in rights-based approaches”
-Julia Bethe, Y4N, COP15
In closing, all panellists agreed upon the importance of academia becoming allies in promoting NbS, amplifying youth and grassroots voices, and promoting rights-based approaches as well as meaningful engagement with NbS as a means of avoiding co-option and misuse.
IN CONCLUSION
NbS is at a risk of falling short of its promise of fostering solutions for biodiversity, climate, and people simultaneously - if it fails to address their underlying, systemic causes
“What we need is a clear text, that is aligned with where we are now, and is grounded in science. We need everyone, including youth, to have easy access to resources. And we need actors to be accountable for their actions”.
-Derrick E. Mugisha, GYBN, COP15
The most essential aspect of this event was highlighting the lack of the youth and indigenous communities in policy discussions and a lack of rights-based approach, resulting in misalignment on the definition of NbS. The youth, as budding leaders, are particularly important stakeholders in this process, necessitating their seat at the decision-making processes.