COMMUNITY-LED BIOECONOMY DEVELOPMENT AND NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS (NBS) IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH: RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE G20

Abstract

The role of nature and the bioeconomy in supporting climate-resilient development has been widely advocated for in global politics. For example, the G20 New Delhi Leaders Declaration commits countries to conserving 30% of degraded ecosystems by 2030 (as per the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)). National governments, and cities are committing to bioeconomy development, that supports the integration of nature-based solutions (NbS). However, poor communities are often excluded from climate policy and planning and rely on autonomous adaptation measures despite a lack of external financial, or technical support. In addition, their involvement in the bioeconomy (for example through agriculture, forestry, and fisheries) is often overlooked. With the current G20 troika consisting of India, Brazil and South Africa, there is opportunity for Global South leaders to steer the discussions on climate-resilient development toward more inclusive and just interventions. To strengthen capacity along the research-to-action value chain, towards equitable, multi-stakeholder collaboration, that puts communities at the forefront of bioeconomy development, the development of platforms for knowledge sharing and knowledge co-production to scale locally led interventions is urgently needed. The “High Level Principles on Bioeconomy” under the G20 Bioeconomy Initiative offer an opportunity to advocate for inclusive policy development and community-based natural resource management (CBNRM). Lastly, peer learning between G20 countries on inclusive best-practices for NbS and the bioeconomy can help accelerate the achievement of policy commitments, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Keywords

• nature-based solutions (nbs)
• bioeconomy
• communities
• g20
• climate change