We stand
Together With Nature
As leaders in science, conservation, restoration, development, and business, we are united in our support of the four Together With Nature Principles for nature-based solutions to responsibly tackle the climate crisis, restore biodiversity, and benefit planetary health and human wellbeing.
STAND WITH US
"People, planet and economy: inextricably interlinked. When all three are healthy, all three are strong. Companies, investors and governments can regenerate our health, our economy and the planet by halving global emissions in the next decade and restoring and conserving nature at the same time. This is not an either/or. I urge everyone to embed these principles into the core of their strategic plans and actions so we can deliver a healthier future fit for everyone."
Christiana Figueres
Co-founder of Global Optimism, co-author of "The Future We Choose" and co-host of the podcast "Outrage & Optimism"
"These past few months have been a tragic reminder that our economic and physical health depend on the health of our planet. It is clear that we must protect nature, and nature-based solutions are a critical part of these efforts. They make our ecosystems more diverse, our economies more sustainable, and our communities more resilient. These principles go a long way in building consensus towards the imperative to invest in and implement these solutions as we plan our recovery from this pandemic."
Dr. M. Sanjayan
CEO of Conservation International
"As the world embraces the power of nature based solutions to help fight climate change and biodiversity loss, we need to build this global movement in a socially and ecologically responsible way. There has never been a more important time to build consensus on the core principles of responsible restoration."
Prof. Dr. Thomas Crowther
Crowther Lab, ETH Zurich
"The Covid-19 pandemic has elevated our search for pathways to a sustainable future of thriving communities, dynamic economies and healthy lands and waters. In this search, nature-based solutions are fundamental to addressing climate change, protecting coastal communities from storms, sustaining clean water for communities and so much more. Nature is not just a nice-to-have; it is essential."
Sally Jewell
former CEO of The Nature Conservancy
"Nature-based solutions are essential for a healthy and stable climate, but also for healthy people and biodiversity. Embracing these principles will leverage the maximum benefit out of each tree and acre, pairing natural carbon capture with other benefits like clean air and rare habitats."
Jad Daley
President & CEO of American Forests
"If there's one thing we've learned from the COVID-19 crisis it's that we cannot go on ignoring the harmful repercussions of an unhealthy planet. Biodiversity loss and climate change exacerbate each other, and both contribute to the rise of pandemics. We face not a single threat, but a series of crises that undermine our planetary stability and human health and livelihoods. Nature-based solutions must be at the centre of our collective response to these challenges as we seek to build back better for our people and planet."
Paul Polman
Co-founder and Chair of IMAGINE
"Nature-Based Solutions provide no-regrets options that complement and strengthen more conventional problem-solving interventions, making them relevant across intact landscapes, agricultural land and modern cities. The values and benefits they deliver do not depreciate over time but are expanded and enhanced. They are well placed to contribute to the just and equitable transition required for a safe and sustainable low-carbon future."
Stewart Maginnis
Global Director, Nature Based Solutions Group, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)01
Cut Emissions
Nature-Based Solutions are powerful tools to capture carbon from the atmosphere, but they are not a substitute for cutting greenhouse gas emissions. From a climate change perspective, we must rapidly cut fossil fuel emissions, decarbonize economies and also maintain, sustainably manage and restore ecosystems.
02
Conserve & Protect Existing Ecosystems
Intact soils, forests, grasslands, shrublands, wetlands and aquatic ecosystems are vital repositories of carbon and biodiversity. Yet, we are losing them at an alarming rate. Protecting these last remaining strongholds of nature is critical.
03
BE SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE
We must fully engage Indigenous peoples and local communities and respect and uphold their rights and leadership. We must also proactively contribute to fair and sustainable economic models that create new employment opportunities while avoiding competition with existing activities such as food production. Only when local communities benefit from the social, economic and ecological benefits that ecosystems provide can restoration be sustainable.
04
BE ECOLOGICALLY RESPONSIBLE
Nature-Based Solutions must be founded on rigorous ecological principles. Biodiversity is vital for healthy ecosystems which are more productive, resilient and beneficial. Diverse mixtures of native species are most likely to provide desired benefits such as carbon storage, food production, and protection from floods, drought and disease. Monocultures of exotic species or low-diversity plantations are unlikely to provide these desired benefits.
#TogetherWithNature
73+ Civil Society Experts
Christiana Figueres
Co-founder of Global Optimism, co-author of "The Future We Choose" and co-host of the podcast "Outrage & Optimism"
Prof. Dr. Thomas Crowther
Crowther Lab, ETH Zurich
M. Sanjayan
CEO, Conservation International
Stewart Maginnis
Global Director, Nature Based Solutions Group, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Justin Adams
Director of 1t.org and Executive Director of Tropical Forest Alliance
Jad Daley
CEO, American Forests
Paul Simpson
CEO, CDP
Dr. María Mendiluce
CEO, We Mean Business Coalition
WBCSD
World Business Council for Sustainable Development
WBCSD
World Business Council for Sustainable Development
Sally Jewell
former CEO, The Nature Conservancy
Andrew Steer
President and CEO, World Resources Institute (WRI)
Fiona Reynolds
CEO, Principles for Responsible Investing (PRI)
Halla Tómasdóttir
CEO, B Team
Aron Cramer
President and CEO, BSR
Manuel Pulgar Vidal
Climate & Energy Global Leader, WWF International
Jules Kortenhorst
CEO, Rocky Mountain Institute
Mark Gough
CEO, Capitals Coalition
Sandrine Dixon
Co President, The Club of Rome
Eliot Whittington
Director, Corporate Leaders Group
Paul Polman
Co-founder and Chair, IMAGINE
Melanie Heath
Director of Science, Policy & Information, Birdlife International
Prof. Dr. Nina Buchmann
Head of Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich
Gabriel Baracatt Sabat
CEO, Avina Fundacion
Dr. Bruno Hérault
Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD) and Global Forest Biodiversity Initiative (GFBI) Steering Committee
Victoria Tauli-Corpuz
Chair of Nia Tero and former UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Dr. Diana H. Wall
Professor, Colorado State University and Scientific Chair, Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative
Willem Ferwerda
CEO, Commonland
Maas Goote
CEO, DOB Ecology
Dr. Paula Ehrlich
President and CEO, E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation and Half-Earth Project Lead
Dr. Gunhild Stordhalen
Founder & Executive Chair, EAT Forum
Dr. Stephen Fitch
Founder and CEO, Eden Reforestation Projects
Ana Cristina Moeri
President, Ekos Brasil
Dr. Andrew Norton
Director, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)
Manuel Rodríguez-Becerra
Emeritus Professor, Universidad de los Andes and President, National Environmental Forum (Colombia)
Jeremy Oppenheim
Global Principal, Food and Land Use Coalition
Prof. Thomas Lovejoy
George Mason University
Dr. Nicolas Picard
GIP Ecofor and Global Forest Biodiversity Initiative (GFBI) Steering Committee
Tomás Insua
Executive Director, Global Climate Catholic Movement
Dr. Javier G. P. Gamarra
Global Forest Biodiversity Initiative (GFBI) Steering Committee
Dr. Susan Wiser
Global Forest Biodiversity Initiative (GFBI) Steering Committee
Achala C. Abeysinghe
Country Representative in Papua New Guinea, Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI)
Musonda Mumba
Chair, Global Partnership on Forest and Landscape Restoration
Nick Stern
Chair, Grantham Institute for Climate Change & Environment
Martin Siegert
Co-Director, Grantham Institute for Climate Change & Environment
Prof. Joanna Haigh
Distinguished Research Fellow, Emeritus Professor of Atmospheric Physics, Grantham Institute for Climate Change & Environment
Pablo Lloret
CEO, Fundación Futuro Latinoamericano
Julia Jackson
Founder, Grounded.org
Prof. Gail Whiteman
Lancaster University and Exeter University
Lucy Almond
Chair, Nature 4 Climate
Peter Seligmann
CEO, Nia Tero
Felix Finkbeiner
Chairman, Plant for the Planet
Dr. Mo Zhou
Purdue University and Global Forest Biodiversity Initiative (GFBI) Steering Committee
Dr. Jingjing Liang
Purdue University and Global Forest Biodiversity Initiative (GFBI) Steering Committee
Pedro Tarak
Co Founder & Global Bridge Builder, Sistema B
Jose Ignacio Morejon
Co-founder and Executive Director, Sistema B Ecuador
Prof. Dr. Hans Pretzsch
Technische Universität München and Global Forest Biodiversity Initiative (GFBI) Steering Committee
Martin Harper
Global Conservation Director, The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)
Dr. Alain Paquette
Université du Québec à Montréal and Global Forest Biodiversity Initiative (GFBI) Steering Committee
Prof. Gabriele Hegerl
University of Edinburgh
Dr. Jean Francois Bastin
University of Gent and Global Forest Biodiversity Initiative (GFBI) Steering Committee
Prof. Piers Forster
Director of Priestley International Centre for Climate, University of Leeds
Prof. Dominick Spracklen
University of Leeds
Dr. Cat Scott
University of Leeds
Prof. Dr. Sergio de-Miguel
University of Lleida, Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC) and Global Forest Biodiversity Initiative (GFBI) Steering Committee
Prof. Peter Reich
University of Minnesota, Western Sydney University, and Global Forest Biodiversity Initiative (GFBI) Steering Committee
Prof. Nathalie Seddon
Nature-based Solutions Initiative, University of Oxford
Robin Chazdon
University of the Sunshine Coast
Dr. Giorgio Alberti
University of Udine and Global Forest Biodiversity Initiative (GFBI) Steering Committee
Dr. Gert-Jan Nabuurs
Wageningen University and Research (WUR) and Global Forest Biodiversity Initiative (GFBI) Steering Committee
Marie-Noelle Keijzer
CEO and co-founder, WeForest
Walter Jetz
Yale University, Scientific Chair of E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation and lead, Half-Earth Project Map
Yolanda Kakabadse
Former President, WWF & IUCN
M. Cecilia Wey de Brito
Former National Secretary of Biodiversity and Forests & former CEO of WWF-Brazil23+ Businesses
Amazon
Salesforce
Unilever
Mastercard
Tiffany & Co.
Barry Callebaut
McCain Foods Limited
Buhler
Esri
Esri
Proctor & Gamble
Land Life Company
Dendra Systems
South Pole
The Rainforest Company
LandClan
Extreme E
DKV Seguros
CadDo
Lionheart Ventures
Future Positive Capital
Breakthrough Strategies & Solutions
Melinquina Ltd.
Symrise
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The need to restore nature AND cut emissions
May 4, 2020