Biodiversity Co-benefits: Narrowing the Gap Between Analysis and Action

Abstract

In 1992, the international community negotiated the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). These landmark agreements would help spark an early interest in the wide range of benefits from addressing climate change at the same time as biodiversity. In the years that followed, climate change policymakers and researchers would refine their understanding of the actions that protect the climate (such as preserving forests) while enhancing biodiversity. Over the same period, biodiversity policymakers and researchers would broaden their appreciation of actions intended to protect endangered species and preserve ecosystems while mitigating greenhouse gases (GHGs) or increasing climate resilience. The recognition of these benefits, then, helped open the door for work on what will be termed biodiversity co-benefits—or the collection of benefits generated from actions that protect the climate while preserving biodiversity.