Spaces

We are pleased to announce that the SPACES coalition will be holding a side event on the role of spatial planning in delivering on targets for climate and nature at the Convention on Biological Diversity’s COP15 at 13:15 EST on Thursday 8^th December.

Spatial planning has the transformative potential to support countries to address the inextricably linked nature and climate crises, as recognised by Target 1 of the draft post-2020 global biodiversity framework. The nature and climate agendas come together through land-use decisions – crucially decisions on where and how to farm, but also on infrastructure, mining, urban development, and other forms of land conversion. Countries need spatial intelligence (i.e. access to, and capacity to use, spatial data on nature, carbon, infrastructure, etc.) to inform decision-making and to chart long-term strategies towards sustainable land use systems. Ambitious commitments must now be backed up by implementation. Country commitments on land use – from the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use to those emerging in the draft post-2020 global biodiversity framework – must be articulated geospatially to be operationalised and implemented. Governments, businesses, and other non-state actors are now adopting ambitious targets for nature and climate. Something as simple as a physical map can bring diverse stakeholders around the table, agree on a common understanding and chart a visible, tangible path forward. 

SPACES is an emerging coalition that mobilises spatial intelligence to support governments, businesses, finance institutions, funders and investors in achieving climate and nature goals. SPACES is coordinated by the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre and Systemiq, working with the UN Development Programme, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis and International Institute for Sustainability among other collaborators. It aims to support the use of spatial intelligence in achieving national climate and nature objectives, by implementing and accelerating spatial planning in countries. 

During this side event, high level speakers will showcase how they are using spatial intelligence to achieve nature and climate goals. Through an interactive panel discussion, this side event aims to share experiences and inspire action towards implementing the post-2020 global biodiversity framework using spatial intelligence. 

The side event can be watched remotely via this link: https://cbd.interactio.com/jhl8-uczb-s54r

For more information, please see https://www.cbd.int/side-events/5145