Biodiversity loss is an environmental and humanitarian crisis tackled by promoting disaster risk reduction and resilience building

By International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Biodiversity loss is an environmental and humanitarian crisis tackled by promoting disaster risk reduction and resilience building

Ahead of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) calls on the parties to the Convention to address the interrelationship between environmental degradation, climate change, disasters and the impacts these cause on people, nature and cultural heritage. All this will help achieve the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) targets.

“Biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution are environmental but also humanitarian crises. All increase the risk of food shortages, water scarcity, epidemics and pandemics, more frequent and intense disasters, and forced displacement and migration due to recurrent catastrophes” said Martha Keays, IFRC Regional Director for the Americas. “We call on all local and national governments, civil society and all COP16 participants to increase technical and financial commitments to disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.”

Two specific GBF targets are critical to avoid a situation where, by 2050, 200 million people require international humanitarian aid every year as a result of a combination of climate-related disasters, environmental degradation, and resulting socio-economic impacts. ‘Target 8’ aims to increase the climate resilience of ecosystems and livelihoods through mitigation, adaptation, and disaster risk reduction, or nature-based solutions. ‘Target 11’ aims to restore, conserve, and enhance nature’s contribution to human well-being.

“It is crucial to accelerate joint action to save nature and lives. Red Cross expertise in convening power and action in disaster risk reduction, locally-led adaptation, and resilience-building can directly support the efforts to protect, restore and sustainably use biodiversity”, explained Keays.

Local Red Cross teams across the Americas are already implementing measures like protecting mangroves to reduce the impact of flooding, restoring coral reefs, reforesting forests, and protecting water sources. These nature-based solutions are complemented by early action systems, forecast-based anticipation, and early action protocols that allow the IFRC network to protect people and nature before disasters strike.

Examples include:

  • The Argentinian Red Cross supported the restoration of more than 25,000 hectares of natural vegetation after the destructive fires in the province of Corrientes in 2022.
  • The Mexican Red Cross promotes a participatory and localised resilience-measurement that considers and highlights the interconnectedness between systems and sectors, facilitating analysis and collective action across the physical, human, social, financial, and natural spheres.
  • In Canada, the Red Cross has supported several indigenous organizations in restoring their lands post-disaster to increase resilience.
  • In collaboration with the Belize Red Cross, Canadian volunteers supported local communities to restore their culture and forests and increase resilience to climate change by planting Maya Nut trees.
  • The Honduran Red Cross and the Swiss Red Cross worked together to help reduce the risk of disasters by combining soil bioengineering and reforestation to reduce landslide risk. This was done via agroecology activities to help recover productive areas, increase food security, and provide economic opportunities.
  • In Colombia, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Grenada, the Red Cross promotes the sustainable management and restoration of mangrove ecosystems to strengthen the resilience of landscape and to reduce climate risks, while also contributing to biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation.

“We urge governments to integrate biodiversity conservation strategies into disaster management plans and sustainable development initiatives,” said Dra. Judith Carvajal de Álvarez, President of the Colombian Red Cross. “As auxiliaries to public authorities in the field of disaster risk reduction, the Red Cross can help with this. We’ve expertise in ensuring that local, indigenous and scientific knowledge are prioritized. We can also advise on ensuring women are at the centre of all efforts – considering their critical role and contributions and addressing their specific needs.”