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Restore and protect nature

Looking at the state of the world’s terrestrial ecosystems, is it evident that urgent and transformative change is needed to deal with the global nature crisis. In many cases the solutions are already known, for instance how to stop terrestrial biodiversity loss caused by habitat conversion. SDG 15 is about protecting, restoring, and sustainably using terrestrial ecosystems, managing forests sustainably, combatting desertification, reversing land degradation, and halting biodiversity loss. Performance in these crucial areas has implications for the entire SDG framework.

Terrestrial ecosystems: Global facts and figures

Nature is essential for our survival: Our economies, livelihoods, food security, health, and quality of life worldwide depend on it. Nature provides us with the oxygen we breathe, regulates the weather patterns we are exposed to, and produces our food, feed, and fibre. Forests cover 30% of the Earth’s surface and are home to more than 80% of all terrestrial species of animals, plants, and insects as well as indigenous populations. At the same time, around 1.6 billion people depend on forests for their livelihood, including some 70 million indigenous people. Over 80% of the human diet is provided by plants, with rice, maize and wheat providing 60% of energy intake. In addition, 80% of people living in rural areas in developing countries rely on traditional plant-based medicines to provide their basic healthcare.

Nature can only perform all these tasks well if it is in balance – but it is under increasing stress. Human activity has changed almost 75% of the Earth’s surface, much of it irreversibly, pushing wildlife and nature into the peripheries not just geographically but in our perception as well. Around 1 million animal and plant species are threatened with extinction – many within decades – according to the 2019 Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service. The report found that the health of ecosystems on which we and all other species depend is deteriorating more rapidly than ever. Transformative changes to restore and protect nature are urgently needed.

Two of the main challenges facing nature on a global scale are deforestation and desertification. An estimated 7.3 million hectares of forest, roughly the size of Panama, are lost each year, according to FAO. WWF estimates that 15 % of all greenhouse gas emissions come from deforestation. The persistent degradation of drylands has led to the desertification of 3.6 billion hectares. Currently, 2.6 billion people depend directly on agriculture, however 52% of the land used for agriculture is moderately or severely affected by soil degradation.

Both deforestation and desertification are mainly caused by human activity or man-made climate change. Not only have they affected the lives and livelihoods of millions of people worldwide and continue to do so. The immediate impacts of both phenomena may be local, but in the long-term they are felt globally and present a major obstacle for sustainable development. Forests are of essential importance for life on land by providing habitats and sustaining livelihoods. They act as carbon sink, prevent soil erosion, and offer watershed protection. Deforestation can often result in desertification or the severe degradation of once fertile land. Focussing on land restoration is therefore crucial to mitigate the impacts of climate change as well as reducing vulnerabilities and economic risks.

The health of our planet also plays an important role in the emergence of zoonotic diseases, i.e. diseases that are transmissible between animals and humans. By intruding into fragile ecosystems, we increasingly bring humans into contact with wildlife, enabling pathogens in wildlife to transfer onto livestock and humans, increasing the risk of disease emergence and amplification as currently seen with the Covid-19 virus and its unstoppable global impact.

Implementation of SDG 15 in the UAE

As an integral part of its heritage, the UAE follows a policy to conserve its desert environment and terrestrial ecosystems. The UAE is home to a range of desert and mountain ecosystems with a wide range of flora and fauna including vulnerable and endangered species such as Arabian Leopard and Arabian Oryx. The National Biodiversity Strategy adopted 2014 and the Action Plan to guide the country’s efforts in conserving biodiversity are based on the Aichi Biodiversity Targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

The UAE is demonstrating fast progress in SDG 15, having improved its score by 97% from 2017 (29.5% achievement of targets) to 2018 (58.2% achievement) thanks to developing important initiatives, such as The Important Bird Areas Project (2018) to protect sites critical for bird conservation and The National Ecotourism Project (2018) to encourage sustainable tourism that minimizes impact on biodiversity.

To date, the UAE has designated a total of 43 federal protected areas. It has also achieved Aichi Target 11 with a total of 17% of terrestrial areas of the UAE being protected areas, and there are plans to increase their coverage. The management effectiveness of the UAE protected areas is evaluated annually to ensure sustainable management of species and ecosystems in close cooperation with relevant entities.

The UAE has launched several programs and initiatives for biodiversity conservation. For instance, in 2014 the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) launched the “UAE Smart Map of Natural Capital” improving the ability to factor in environmental and economic benefits offered by ecosystems and to facilitate their sustainable utilization. This initiative enables users to identify available natural resources and value ecosystem services at the national level in monetary terms.

The UAE is collaborating with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to identify invasive species within the country and to prevent, address, and eradicate their negative presence. Future work will consist of updating, developing, and implementing regulations relating to invasive species. The UAE is also working towards updating the National Red List with IUCN which will aid in identifying the endangered and most threatened species in the UAE by classifying the indigenous species according to IUCN Criteria.

Aside from policies and regulations, public awareness raising and capacity building through specialized trainings and workshops are important in ensuring the achievement of the SDGs. The UAE celebrates biodiversity through several international environmental days such the “World Day to Combat Desertification”, “World Wildlife Day”, and “International Day for Biological Diversity”. In particular, the UAE is working to ensure that relevant entities and the public are aware of the issue of illegal wildlife trade. The “Beautiful in The Wild” campaign (2015) for instance aims to raise awareness on the importance of keeping wild animals in their natural habitats and the effects of invasive species on local biodiversity using visual simulation technologies. Recent campaigns have targeted Abu Dhabi and Dubai airports in cooperation with partner organizations to raise awareness among visitors and residents.

Aside from policies and regulations, public awareness raising and capacity building through specialized trainings and workshops are important in ensuring the achievement of the SDGs. The UAE celebrates biodiversity through several international environmental days such the “World Day to Combat Desertification”, “World Wildlife Day”, and “International Day for Biological Diversity”. In particular, the UAE is working to ensure that relevant entities and the public are aware of the issue of illegal wildlife trade. The “Beautiful in The Wild” campaign (2015) for instance aims to raise awareness on the importance of keeping wild animals in their natural habitats and the effects of invasive species on local biodiversity using visual simulation technologies. Recent campaigns have targeted Abu Dhabi and Dubai airports in cooperation with partner organizations to raise awareness among visitors and residents.

The business case for nature protection

Businesses and ecosystems are linked. Companies affect ecosystems by relying on the services they provide, such as freshwater, fibres, or crops, as well as their regulatory services, i.e. climate regulation, flood control, or water purification. Estimates indicate that 2 to 5 trillion USD of ecosystem services are lost each year from deforestation alone. That scale is highly relevant to business, presenting risks as well as opportunities.

To preserve the availability and vitality of natural resources and to ensure long-term socio-economic growth opportunities, sustainable land and resource management is key. Businesses can directly contribute to SDG 15 by measuring, managing, and mitigating their impact on land ecosystems. Companies can implement strategies to incentivize sustainable land use, responsible forest management, and environmental stewardship. To secure supply of natural resources and raw material in the future, companies will also have to increase efforts to restore degraded land. By scaling up research and development in innovation, investing in natural infrastructure, and implementing responsible sourcing practices beyond compliance, companies play an integral part in preserving and restoring vital ecosystems and promoting their sustainable use, while holding up consumer confidence in their products and services.

Example for local corporate engagement: Shurooq

The Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) was established in 2009 with the mission to enhance Sharjah’s appeal as a destination for investment, tourism, and business by developing infrastructure projects that create a modern, world-class experience while keeping Sharjah’s Arab and Islamic identity intact. Shurooq has aligned its activities with the SDG agenda. In November 2018 it established a Sustainability Department whose role is to explicitly adopt a set of SDGs to be driven over an annual course. The list includes six SDGs, namely SDG 3 (good health and wellbeing), SDG 5 (gender equality), SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure), SDG 10 (reducing inequality), SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities), and SDG 15 (life on land).

The emirate of Sharjah has been at a lead position of developing the cultural and eco-tourism profile of the UAE and Shurooq has been playing a key role in driving this, contributing to SDG 15. Through the Kalba eco-tourism project, Shurooq promotes one of the oldest mangrove regions in the country as a tourist destination by engineering ways to preserve the natural environment and running environmental awareness programs and education centres to ensure generations to come can continue to enjoy one of the oldest mangroves in Arabia. By building on existing activities such as wildlife watching, trekking, camping, canoeing, and family picnics, the project in collaboration with the Environment and Protected Areas Authority in Sharjah aims to transform Kalba into a unique and experience-centric tourism destination. Another project that falls under SDG 15 is the Mleiha archaeological and eco-tourism project. Mleiha in the Sharjah desert is a 130,000-year-old natural history site from the Paleolithic period, nominated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Investment in the project is expected to reach approximately AED250 million to develop the Mleiha Archaeological Centre, which is one of the region’s most important natural history sites. 

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To find out more about the key actions which, according to researchers and future modelling, are needed to stop and reverse biodiversity loss, continue reading: sdg.iisd.org