New online platform showcases civil society, local authority and business pledges for nature

Well-managed protected and conserved areas play a vital role in safeguarding biodiversity, contributing to human livelihoods and bolstering climate resilience. With new international targets expected to call for the conservation of 30 per cent of the Earth’s surface by 2030, global political awareness of the importance of protected and conserved areas is growing.

Beyond protected and conserved areas, many public and private organisations also play an important role in supporting nature by restoring or sustainably using areas of lands and water.

Today’s new Nature Commitments Platform, launching in the wake of the International Day for Biological Diversity, aims to inspire business, civil society and other non-state organisations to contribute towards achieving global ambitions for biodiversity.

The site – created by the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), in partnership with the Government of the Netherlands and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity - showcases more than 160 current area-based conservation pledges and encourages organisations to upload their own commitments.

The platform has been designed to feed live information on non-State commitments directly into complementary initiatives , notably Protected Planet and the ICCA Registry (a platform showcasing territories and areas conserved by indigenous peoples and local communities), providing a powerful additional boost to strengthen global information on protected and conserved areas.

By encouraging diverse groups to share information, exchange lessons learned and celebrate success, the Platform aims to inspire ongoing action and build an empowered community of non-State practitioners.

Information on the location, spatial extent and planned biodiversity outcomes will also help inform existing and future project donors.

Any non-State organisation can make an area-based commitment to the new Nature Commitments platform, as well as to the complementary commitments platform, the Sharm El Sheikh to Kunming Action Agenda for Nature and People.