Nature for Life Hub 2022 – Events page

Main Stage

DAY 1

28 November | Nature for Development and Climate

About this day

This day features two sessions – “Nature for Development,” which highlights the many ways that nature is essential for achieving our Sustainable Development Goals; and “Nature for Climate,” which explores why nature is so important for achieving our goals for climate mitigation and adaptation.

SESSION 1SESSION 2

Session 1.1 (9AM EDT - 28 Nov, 2022) | Nature for Development

	28 November, 2022
	9AM – 12:30PM EDT
	Livestream

This session demonstrates how our traditional economic development models and metrics are not suited for a nature-positive future, and highlights the shifts we must make. This session also shows how we can implement a systems change approach to put nature at the heart of sustainable development, including through spatial planning.

Segments

Defining the Nature of Development

Human development – the process by which we strive to improve social and economic wellbeing for all – has for too long ignored the environmental impacts of economic growth. This segment encourages us to redefine the very nature of development.

New Rules for Development

This segment shows why we need to change the rules for development. We need to start thinking about how we measure progress, and how we measure wealth, and we need to learn to live within our planetary boundaries, while providing wellbeing for all of humanity.

Systems Change in Theory and Practice

This segment shows how we not only need to rethink human development, but we need to change our relationship with the planet. This requires more than just new tools to measure progress or measure national wealth; it requires a new narrative about nature, and a systems change approach.

Putting Nature at the Heart of Development

Rethinking development means that we need to reset our relationship with nature. In this segment we explore one way to do that – by using spatial data to put nature at the very heart of sustainable development.

Session 1.2 (1PM EDT - 28 Nov, 2022) | Working with Nature

	28 November, 2022
	1PM – 4:30PM EDT
	Livestream

Nature underpins half of the targets of the SDGs. This session will detail the importance of implementing nature-based solutions at scale in order to achieve the SDGs, the Paris Climate Accords, and the Global Biodiversity Framework.

Segments

Nature for Development

This segment explores the different ways nature-based solutions provide for food and water security, safety and disaster risk reduction, health and nutrition, and even fuels our imagination to solve engineering challenges!

Nature for Climate

This segment explores how protecting, restoring and sustainably managing nature is essential for achieving our goals on climate mitigation and adaptation. In fact, nature-based climate solutions are among the most cost-effective solution we have for tackling climate change!

Nature’s Newsroom

This segment highlights some of the interviews and sessions from the 27th global climate conference, with compelling voices on the nexus of climate and nature.

DAY 2

29 November | Financing Nature

About this day

This day features two sessions: “Financing Nature,” which explores fundamental questions about how we invest in nature, and why we need to transform financial flows for a nature-positive future; and “Shifting to a Nature-Positive Economy,” which explores different approaches to catalyzing bioeconomies, green economies and circular economies.

SESSION 1SESSION 2

Session 2.1 (9AM EDT - 29 Nov, 2022) | Financing Nature

	29 November, 2022
	9AM – 12:30PM EDT
	Livestream

Nature supports more than half of global GDP. So why do we devote such little funding to protecting nature, why do we spend so much money to destroying it? This session seeks to answer these questions and provide practical solutions on what can be done to finance nature.

Segments

Overview of Finance and Nature

This segment provides an overview of biodiversity finance issues, with a focus on mobilizing private sector funds, including videos about the status of finance for nature, and outtakes from the Global Ethical Finance Initiative.

Transforming Financial Flows and Improving Transparency

This segment explores why we need to improve the transparency of investments in nature-related activities, and ensure that companies report and disclose their impacts on nature. We must also rethink how we invest public expenditures, and explore why we must repurpose environmentally harmful subsidies.

Session 2.2 (1PM EDT - 29 Nov, 2022) | Shifting to a Nature-Positive Economy

	29 November, 2022
	1PM – 4:30PM EDT
	Livestream

This session highlights the urgent need to transition to a nature-positive economy. The session features innovative action from around the world to create sustainable bioeconomies, blue economies, and circular economies, all necessary for a nature-positive future

Segments

Bioeconomies

This segment explores how building a new, nature-based economy, or bioeconomy, can help people and nature thrive together, and presents compelling cases from Ecuador to Europe on how communities are already leading the way.

Blue Economies

This segment explores how an economy based on oceans and marine life – a blue economy – can transform the lives of people, and protect and conserve nature, around the world, from Indonesia to Cabo Verde.

Circular Green Economies

This segment explores what it means to shift from a take-make-waste linear economy to a circular economy, one in which the entire lifespan of a product, from cradle-to-grave-to-cradle is environmentally friendly, and does not result in waste.

Putting Communities at the Heart of Green Business

This segment explores how communities are the backbone of most of the products and services that we enjoy, from coffee to ecotourism, and pepper to beauty products. This segment explores how communities and CEOs from around the world are working to forge new fair trade agreements, and put communities at the heart of green business.

Business, Trade and Supply Chains

This segment explores how business, trade and supply chains can all be aligned with a nature-positive future, and showcases how different actors, from private sector companies, to local communities, to trade organizations, are all helping to foster business practices that align with nature.

DAY 3

30 November | Creating a Planetary Safety Net

About this day

This day features two sessions: “Catalyzing Local Action,” which highlights the many ways that Indigenous peoples and local communities can play to create a nature-based planetary safety net; and “Planetary Safety Net,” an exploration of how we need to protect, restore and manage nature in order to secure our future.

SESSION 1SESSION 2

Session 3.1 (9AM EDT - 30 Nov, 2022) | Catalyzing Local Action

	30 November, 2022
	9AM – 12:30PM EDT
	Livestream

Local action from Indigenous peoples and local communities is key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. This session features celebrations of the 2022 Equator Prize winners and the GEF Small Grants Programme’s 30th Anniversary, and highlights dimensions of local action.

Segments

Celebrating the Equator Prize Winners

This segment recognizes ten prize-winning local communities from around the world who are protecting, restoring and sustainably managing nature, and in the process, helping to build a nature-based safety net for themselves and the broader world.

Dimensions of Local Action

Local action is essential for building a planetary safety net - a third of the planet is owned or governed by Indigenous peoples and local communities. This segment celebrates the 30th Anniversary of the GEF Small Grants Programme, and showcases different dimensions of local action needed to scale up impact.

Session 3.2 (1PM EDT - 30 Nov, 2022) | Creating a Planetary Safety Net

	30 November, 2022
	1PM – 4:30PM EDT
	Livestream

In order to reverse biodiversity loss and climate change, we must protect, restore, and sustainably manage nature, and create a planetary safety net for humanity. This session outlines how we can effectively care for all of humanity, while protecting, restoring, and sustainably managing nature around the world.

Segments

Protecting Our Planet

This segment highlights the need for bold ambition to scale up biodiversity protection to 30% of lands and waters by 2030. This segment features different approaches to land and water protection at different scales, from national parks to Indigenous and community conserved areas.

Restoring Our Planet

Restoring ecosystems is critical for our very survival, and will help ensure that we have clean water, safe communities, thriving biodiversity, and a livable planet. This segment explores how different actors around the world are becoming part of “Generation Restoration.”

Regenerative Agriculture

Transforming our land management into regenerative practices – practices that nourish and restore soil productivity – is the most essential step we can take to ensure food security for future generations. This segment explores different regenerative agricultural practices from around the world.

Regenerative Forestry

Restoring and sustainably managing forests is essential to life on Earth. This segment explores different pathways toward sustainable and regenerative forest management from a variety of perspectives.

Virtual Booths

Virtual booths

Visit our partners' virtual booths to find prime content and to learn more about the work they do to secure nature for life.

Virtual booths are an opportunity to explore relevant multimedia assets, key publications, blogs, links to events, social media posts, top campaigns and more.

Explore:

The Global Environment Facility is the world’s largest funder of biodiversity protection, nature restoration, pollution reduction, and climate change response in developing countries. It finances…

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UNDP works in about 170 countries and territories, helping to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and exclusion, and build resilience so countries can sustain progress.…

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Established in 1992, the year of the Rio Earth Summit, the GEF Small Grants Programme embodies the very essence of sustainable development by “thinking…

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SEED works directly with growing enterprises and aspiring entrepreneurs in our Enterprise Support programmes to strategise, optimise and award achievements in eco-inclusive entrepreneurship. SEED…

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The project ‘Mapping Nature for People and Planet’ supports nations in using the latest advances in spatial data technology and science to create their own…

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The Equator Initiative brings together the United Nations, governments, civil society, businesses and grassroots organizations to recognize and advance local sustainable development solutions for…

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Youth4Nature (Y4N) is a by-youth, for-youth, international non-profit organisation. We educate, equip, & establish youth as leaders on system-wide solutions for the nature and…

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WRI is a global nonprofit organization that works with leaders in government, business and civil society to research, design, and carry out practical solutions…

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The World Benchmarking Alliance is a non-profit organisation holding 2,000 of the world’s most influential companies accountable for their part in achieving the Sustainable…

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UN Biodiversity Lab (UNBL) is a geospatial platform designed to support policymakers to develop data-driven sustainable development solutions. With over 400 of the world’s…

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Founded in 1992, UNEP FI is the UN-convened network of banks, insurers and investors to accelerate sustainable development. Working with 400+ members, representing $100+…

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Since its inception in 1972, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has been the global authority that sets the environmental agenda, promote the coherent…

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Systems Change Lab is a collaborative initiative designed to spur action at the pace and scale needed to tackle some of the world’s greatest…

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One Earth is a nonprofit organization working to accelerate collective action to solve the climate crisis through groundbreaking science, inspiring media, and an innovative…

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The Finance for Biodiversity Foundation supports a call to action on global leaders and collaboration amongst financial institutions to protect and restore biodiversity through…

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Business for Nature is a global coalition of 75+ influential organizations and forward-thinking companies calling for governments to adopt policies to reverse nature loss…

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BIOFIN, a United Nations Development Programme-managed global programme, exists to demonstrate how nature-positive economies can work for people and the planet. Learn more → …

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The Bezos Earth Fund was created by a commitment of $10 billion from Jeff Bezos to be disbursed as grants within the current decade.…

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Lightning Talks

Featured talks

Systems change for a nature-positive future

Systems change for a nature-positive future - Andrew Steer, CEO of the Bezos Earth Fund

In this keynote speech, Andrew Steer, President & CEO of Bezos Earth Fund, addresses how we can confront our current natural crises using a systems change lens. He explains how working together and using systems thinking can help us understand the story behind existing systems in order to change them. By following a systems lens, we can unpack the interrelationships between elements and actors to make long-term systemic change and solve some of our most pressing natural challenges.

About the speaker:

Dr. Andrew Steer is the President and CEO of the Bezos Earth Fund. Andrew joined the Earth Fund from the World Resources Institute, where he served as President & CEO for over eight years. Prior to this, Andrew served as the World Bank’s Special Envoy for Climate Change, Director General at the UK Department of International Development, and Head of the World Bank in Vietnam and Indonesia. Dr. Steer is a Global Agenda Trustee for the World Economic Forum, a Commissioner of the Energy Transitions Commission, a member of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), co-chair of the Greening the Belt and Road Coalition, and member of the Advisory Committees of the Asian Development Bank and Bank of America. Andrew was educated at St. Andrews University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Cambridge University. He has a PhD in international economics and finance.

Systems change through a narrative shift

Systems change through a narrative shift - Midori Paxton, Head of Ecosystems and Biodiveristy, UNDP

This video discusses UNDP's recognition of the power of nature and its central role in achieving SDG targets. But nature's allyship cannot endure without systemic change. The four key points underpinning Systems Change are discussed, along with an outline of three global shifts (narrative, economic/financial, and policy/practice) which UNDP believes are essential to solve the Nature Crisis. These issues cohere into an argument for nature-based human development to better human lives and help preserve our only home.

About the speaker:

Midori Paxton is the UNDP Head of Ecosystem and Biodiversity Programme. She is responsible for a large project portfolio in over 130 countries, supporting biodiversity mainstreaming and protected area system, sustainable land management and ecosystem-based adaptation and mitigation. She oversees a range of finance initiatives including the Biodiversity Finance Initiatives (BIOFIN) and support for the Task Force on Nature-Related Financial Disclosure, as well as the Global Fund for Coral Reefs. Midori holds a master’s degree in Environment and Development from University of Cambridge, and an author of six books and hundreds of published photos and articles.

The role of nature in climate adaptation

The role of nature in climate adaptation - Bård Vegar Solhjell, Director General, NORAD

For the first time in history, humanity is at the risk of destroying the foundation of our existence. But we also have the ability to change that course. And this is what nature-based solutions is about: teaming up with nature, and placing nature at the center of sustainable development.

About the speaker:

Bård Vegar Solhjell is Director General of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, Norad, since January 2020. He is deputy board-chair of the Fritt ord (free word) foundation, and a board member of Norway’s second biggest renewable energy company Hafslund. Mr. Solhjell came to Norad after having served as Secretary General of WWF Norway. From 2001 to 2017 Mr. Solhjell held senior positions in Norwegian politics. He was member of the Parliament from 2009 to 2017, Minister of Education from 2007-2009, Minister of the Environment 2012-2013 and a State Secretary for prime minister Jens Stoltenberg from 2005-2007. From 2007 to 2015 he was Vice-chairman of the Socialist Left Party (SV). Mr. Solhjell holds a master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Oslo. He has written 4 non-fiction books and written extensively for Norwegian and international publications.

Prefeasibility potential: Using the NBS Benefits...

Prefeasibility potential: Using the NBS Benefits Explorer tool to mainstream investments in nature-based solutions

Investments in NBS have not been mainstreamed, primarily due to a lack of standardized approaches and tools to effectively identify and account for the potential benefits of NBS. The Pacific Institute, CEO Water Mandate, The Nature Conservancy, Danone, and LimnoTech have addressed this challenge by creating a practical tool, the NBS Benefits Explorer, that helps organizations identify and account for NBS benefits. The tool is a key starting point for NBS projects and provides a high-level overview of the linkages between habitats, interventions, activities, processes, and benefits.

About the speaker:

Gregg Brill is a Senior Researcher with the Pacific Institute and Technical Lead for the United Nations Global Compact CEO Water Mandate. His current work focuses on developing and scaling the private sector's awareness and investment in nature-based solutions (NBS). This work includes developing and implementing a standardized method, guide, and tool to demonstrate stacked water, carbon, biodiversity, and socio-economic benefits associated with NBS for watersheds worldwide. His technical support stretches across water resilience, net positive water impact, and science-based target setting. Gregg has 15 years of experience in corporate sustainability, ecological infrastructure/nature-based solutions, conservation, economic water resilience, and stakeholder engagement. Gregg holds a Ph.D. in Environmental and Geographical Science from the University of Cape Town, where his research focussed on the uses, values, impacts, and management of water-related ecosystem services in urban protected areas in the Global South.

Lightning Talk on nature and trade

Lightning Talk on nature and trade - Aik Hoe Lim, Director, Trade and Environment Division, World Trade Organization

In this video, the Director of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade and Environment Division Aik Hoe Lim discusses how trade and trade cooperation can help preserve and bring out the value of nature. He offers concrete pathways through which trade can help economies become greener, more prosperous, and more inclusive. Further insights into the role of trade in protecting the environment can be found in recent WTO publications such as the WTO World Trade Report 2022 "Climate Change and International Trade" and the WTO contribution to the 2022 UN High-Level Political Forum on achieving the SDGs.

About the speaker:

Aik Hoe Lim is the Director of Trade and Environment Division at the World Trade Organization (WTO). He is responsible for the organization’s work on trade and environment, as well as on the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade. Prior to that, Aik Hoe was a Counsellor in the Trade in Services Division and Secretary to the Working Group on Domestic Regulation. He has served as Counsellor to two consecutive WTO Director-Generals (2001-2005) and was also Adviser to the Director General’s Consultative Group on “The Future of the WTO.” Before joining the WTO in 1999, he was a Senior Economic Affairs Officer at the G-15 Summit Level Group of Developing Countries.

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All talks

All topics
Rethinking the nature of development
Working with nature
Financing nature
Shifting to a nature-positive economy
Catalyzing local action
Creating a planetary safety net

Dialogues and Fireside Chats

Featured dialogues

Accelerating the creation of protected and conserved areas as a planetary safety net

A discussion put on by the Legacy Landscapes Fund on how we can accelerate the creation of protected and conserved areas around the world to create a planetary safety net.

Speakers:

Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany
Prof. Patience Gandiwa, Director of Transfrontier Conservation Areas and Conventions - Zimparks
Stephanie Lang, Executive Director, Legacy Landscapes Fund"

Embedding the economy in nature

The need to transform the relationship between our economic systems and nature is increasingly recognised as critical, not only to protect biodiversity and restore ecosystems, but to enhance resilience to climate change, protect human health and wellbeing, and to catalyse more sustainable inclusive economic progress. However, transforming economies, and the financial systems that support them, is a huge and multidimensional task. Here we bring together three experts to explore their perspectives on why demand for this kind of change is spreading throughout our societies now.

Speakers:

Maxwell Gomera, UNDP Resident Representative for Rwanda
Karen Ellis, Cheif Economist, WWF UK
Corli Pretorius, Deputy Director, UNEP-WCMC"

The importance of shifting global financial flows away...

The importance of shifting global financial flows away from nature negative activities towards nature positive activities

We cannot reach net zero and keep our planet’s warming to 1.5C without halting and reversing tropical deforestation. Hear from Global Canopy, the data-driven environmental organisation targeting the market forces destroying nature, and learn about the role of financial institutions and companies and the actions they can take.

Speakers:

Niki Mardas, Executive Director, Global Canopy
Emma Thomson, Lead, Forest 500
Andre Vasconcelos, Global Engagement Lead, Trase

Building resilient landscapes through local action

UNDP Local Action supports communities in building the socio-ecological resilience of their production land- and seascapes. Through its Local Action service offer, UNDP enhances and scales up support to local communities by building on the longest-running community-focused initiative, the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) and other community-based initiatives such as the Adaptation Innovation Marketplace and the Equator Initiative. This video showcases voices from community-led initiatives supported by SGP Upgraded Country Programmes (UCPs) in Ecuador, Indonesia and México.

UN Biodiversity Lab & the post-2020 Global Biodiversity...

UN Biodiversity Lab & the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework: why is spatial data key to the new GBF

Spatial data will be indispensable to implement the new post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, and achieve its ambitious targets. In this video, UNEP-WCMC showcases a key tool to do so: the UN Biodiversity Lab (UNBL). Free of access, online, and not require GIS expertise, the UNBL is considered by countries and CBD Parties as a central tool to undertake spatial analysis, combine global and national datasets, and use dynamic indicators.

Speaker:

Jillian Campbell, Head of Monitoring, Review, and Reporting, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity
Corli Pretorius, Deputy Director, UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Center"

Read less

All dialogues

All topics
Rethinking the nature of development
Working with nature
Financing nature
Shifting to a nature-positive economy
Catalyzing local action
Creating a planetary safety net

From the Field

Action Center

Grab and Go

Grab and go

Visit the Nature for Life e-library and explore our endless collection of online resources.

These materials include reports, policy briefs, digital booklets, online tools and more, from the Nature for Life partners and other organizations advancing on nature-based solutions for sustainable development.

Explore: