Climate change adaptation, biodiversity conservation, and the means of implementation

The twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss are fundamentally interlinked, and addressing them independently is no longer feasible

Climate change is affecting countries, communities, and natural ecosystems across the world in unprecedented ways. Sea level rise, temperature increase, shifting rainfall patterns, more frequent extreme weather events, and other climate-related impacts are putting immense pressure on both human societies and the natural environments upon which they rely. The twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss are fundamentally linked, and addressing them independently of each other is no longer feasible.

An integrated approach to climate change adaptation and biodiversity conservation, supported by robust means of implementation, is vital for building long-term resilience and prosperity. As highlighted in the UAE Consensus (the cover decision of the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2023, COP28), there is an urgent need to address, in a comprehensive and synergetic manner, “the interlinked global crises of climate change and biodiversity loss in the broader context of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.”

Nature-based solutions for climate change

Adaptation to climate change is the process of adjusting to actual or expected climate change and its effects in order to moderate harm or take advantage of beneficial opportunities (Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change).

Both the global climate change and biodiversity frameworks have recognised means of implementation, particularly finance, as a key enabler for action. The recently concluded 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was billed as a finance COP, and the establishment of a new global goal for climate finance is seen as one of its major outcomes. However, the decision text notes with concern “the gap between climate finance flows and needs, particularly for adaptation in developing country Parties” and recognises “the need to dramatically scale up adaptation finance,” including in the context of the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) and its targets.

Under the GGA and the UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience, one of the seven thematic targets focuses on “reducing climate impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity, and accelerating the use of ecosystem-based adaptation and nature-based solutions, including through their management, enhancement, restoration and conservation and the protection of terrestrial, inland water, mountain, marine and coastal ecosystems” by 2030 and progressively beyond. At COP29, Parties decided that indicators related to the GGA should include those that are “relevant to specific ecosystems” as well as quantitative and qualitative indicators for means of implementation.

Working towards biodiversity conservation

The 16th session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16) ended in the early morning of November 2nd, 2024, when the session was suspended due to lack of quorum. While it was the largest meeting under the CBD so far with over 23,000 registered participants, and important progress was made on many issues, there are still critical outstanding aspects to be discussed when COP16 resumes on 25 February 2025, at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome, Italy.

Under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, there are 23 global targets for 2030, with one (target 8) specifically focused on minimising the impacts of climate change on biodiversity and building resilience. Others targets have high relevance for climate action as well (for example, target 11 on restoring, maintaining, and enhancing nature’s contributions to people), and there are many overlaps between the biodiversity and climate benefits of nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based adaptation.

However, action for biodiversity faces many of the same challenges as climate change adaptation when it comes to the mobilisation of funding and other means of implementation. Financial resources for biodiversity will be a major focus at the resumed COP16, with agenda items including a new resource mobilisation strategy and the establishment of a global financing instrument for biodiversity. Target 19 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework highlights the potential co-benefits and synergies of finance targeting the biodiversity and climate crises, including private finance, blended finance, and innovative schemes such as impact funds, payment for ecosystem services, green bonds, biodiversity offsets and credits, and benefit-sharing mechanisms.

Natural and financial capital: Key enablers for action

The mobilisation of adequate financial capital and other means of implementation, as well as the valuation of natural capital, are critical factors for meaningful progress in adaptation and biodiversity conservation.

Natural capital refers to natural ecosystems—such as forests, wetlands, coral reefs, grasslands, or mangroves—that provide services including carbon sequestration, water filtration, pollination, soil stabilisation, and disaster risk reduction. Intact and diverse ecosystems help buffer societies from the impacts of climate change, often at lower cost and with greater long-term benefits than engineered solutions. Sufficient, predictable, and accessible financial capital, on the other hand, is needed for the implementation of adaptation actions, including nature-based solutions or ecosystem-based approaches. Investment should flow toward protecting and restoring ecosystems, supporting research and innovation, and strengthening local capacities. Aligning financial instruments with climate and biodiversity targets is a significant challenge, but it also presents an opportunity to harness co-benefits and synergies through inclusive and participatory processes as well as mechanisms such as payments for ecosystem services, resilience bonds, blended finance models, blue economy, green credit lines, insurance schemes, and other innovative solutions. 

Between the two interconnected crises, natural and financial capital can come together to support effective climate change adaptation and biodiversity conservation. By recognising the irreplaceable value of ecosystems and ensuring adequate means of implementation to protect, conserve, and restore them, countries such as Sri Lanka can build on their natural resources in sustainable ways and ensure long-term resilience. Ultimately, an integrated approach could help to ensure that the securing the planet’s life-support systems aligns with green economic growth and social well-being for current as well as future generations.

(The writer works as Director: Research & Knowledge Management at SLYCAN Trust, a non-profit think tank based in Sri Lanka. His work focuses on climate change, adaptation, resilience, ecosystem conservation, just transition, human mobility, and a range of related issues. He holds a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Cologne, Germany and is a regular contributor to several international and local media outlets.)