IUCN BELGIAN FOCAL POINT

 

BELGIAN IUCN FOCAL POINT

The Belgian Biodiversity Platform is the Belgian IUCN Focal Point. We work on strengthening conservation-related actions in Belgium and we promote success stories of Belgian IUCN members. We are also active in engaging Belgian experts in IUCN Commissions. We also provide the opportunity for IUCN members in Belgium and actors in the field of nature conservation to meet and discuss conservation issues, exchange best practices and information, and influence national policies related to the conservation of nature.

NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) refer to the sustainable management and use of nature for tackling societal challenges such as climate change, water security, food security, human health, and disaster risk management. The Belgian Biodiversity Platform has been active in promoting and clarifying this concept. In this context, we are National Focal Point for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN, the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organisation) that puts deployment of NbS at the heart of its Global Programme 2017-2020. We also collaborate with BiodivERsA and EKLIPSE in order to ensure that NbS is kept as a concept encompassing benefits for biodiversity, for society and for the economy. For example, we co-wrote a publication on NbS providing an overview of the different views related to the concept and how they can be reconciled. We were also active in the organisation of a Foresight workshop on NbS of which the report is available online. Furthermore, we also authored the Wikipedia article providing a summary of the concept, and co-drafted the BiodivERsA Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda that has NbS as one of its core research themes.