Mangroves are salt-tolerant coastal forests that have uniquely adapted to growing at the border between sea and land and they are one of Earth’s most resilient, productive, and biodiverse ecosystems. They provide habitat and nursery grounds for mammals, reptiles, birds, crab and shrimp species as well as more than 3000 fish species, of which many are commercially important. Through their ability to trap and stabilize sediments, mangroves increase water quality seawards, which benefits other highly diverse marine ecosystems, such as coral reefs and seagrass meadows. Most importantly though, they are also critical for the livelihood of about 120 Million people, who depend on them for food, raw material, and coastal protection. Without mangroves, many coastal communities that live off fishing in mangrove forests and surrounding waters would lose an important source of food and income.

The new State of Finance for Nature report finds that if the world is to meet the climate change, biodiversity, and land degradation targets, it needs to close a USD 4.1 trillion financing gap in nature by 2050. The current investments in Nature-based solutions amount to USD 133 billion – most of which comes from public sources.

Over the past 50 years, biodiversity loss has taken place at an unprecedented scale driven by extraordinary change in land and sea use and the overexploitation of natural resources.
In an increasingly urbanized world, natural habitats have been converted to urban areas at an alarming rate. Historically, cities have posed a threat to biodiversity and natural ecosystems – but they can also be a part of the solution.

In the wake of World Environment Day, the Graduate Institute and UNEP have launched their new partnership, the Forum on Trade, Environment and the SDGs (TESS), to support dialogue and action on trade policies that advance environmental sustainability and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Mandated to ‘connect, inform, analyse and empower’, the work of TESS combines public facing events and policy briefs; expert and stakeholder roundtables; and off-the-record consultations key to supporting international policymaking processes.

Our efforts to protect and restore nature have overlooked the biggest single factor in biodiversity loss: the world’s inefficient and irresponsible use of natural resources.

Unsustainable trade is behind the biodiversity crisis threatening our existence. But done sustainably, international commerce can help protect our planet’s precious resources.

The world needs to quadruple its annual investment in nature if the climate, biodiversity and land degradation crises are to be tackled by the middle of the century. Investing just 0.1% of global GDP every year in restorative agriculture, forests, pollution management and protected areas to close a $4.1tn (£2.9tn) financial gap by 2050 could avoid the breakdown of natural ecosystem “services” such as clean water, food and flood protection.

The Big Green Internet Ltd. On the doorstep of the City of London. Last winter planted 41,000 trees (as new hedgerows), have 60,000+ planned for this winter ahead and half a million thereafter. Creating significant new wildlife habitat and natural capital. Project to link isolated and fragmented woods is under way too. This is a significant ecological intervention with quick win results (hedgerows grow fast).

Nature-based solutions play a crucial role in achieving water security. Read how New York City utilises nature to protect its unfiltered water supply.