The World Biodiversity Summit 2023, held in New York during Climate Week NYC and the UN General Assembly, convened a diverse and motivated crowd. This event, building on last year's success, solidified itself as a global cross-sector gathering dedicated to addressing biodiversity loss.
A closeup shot of a butterfly on an orange-petaled flower.
At the heart of the summit was the pressing need to integrate biodiversity into business, finance, government, and civil society. Dr Harvey Locke, Vice Chair for Nature Positive, IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, acknowledged the evolving landscape of biodiversity efforts.
The summit highlighted that the business sector recognises its interdependence with nature and the potential to create 400 million jobs in a nature-positive economy. Climate Champions called for non-state actors to commit to science-based targets, integrate nature into environmental plans, and eliminate commodity-driven deforestation.
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In the financial sector, there was a stress on the need to integrate biodiversity into financial disclosure to mitigate risks. Prof Johan Rockström highlighted nature's role in maintaining environmental balance and the necessity of protecting biodiversity.
Robust policies and standardised frameworks are essential to incentivise the private sector in biodiversity conservation. Rethinking land and water management for a nature-people-environmentally-positive approach was also discussed.
Emphasis was placed on including Indigenous knowledge in biodiversity preservation. The World Biodiversity Network introduced Nature-Positive Initiatives at COP28 in Dubai, alongside other initiatives. Notable reports were released by Ørsted, Capgemini, and the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), all stressing biodiversity's importance.
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The summit concluded with a call to action, emphasising the integration of biodiversity targets into broader environmental negotiations and setting high ambitions for COP28 in Dubai.
At DGB Group, we believe that achieving long-lasting, positive environmental change necessitates collaborative efforts from all stakeholders across various decision-making tiers. DGB actively partners with various entities, including governmental organisations and local communities, to initiate large-scale, nature-centric projects with a profound impact. Our projects are designed to rejuvenate biodiversity, rehabilitate vital habitats, and restore ecosystems, contributing to a more sustainable, greener world.
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