Ecosystem Governance – the Foundation for Attaining the Sustainable Development Goals1

Ecosystem Governance – The Foundation for Attaining the Sustainable Development Goals1

Key Messages 1. All life – and our wellbeing – depends on the services provided by ecosystems, including the air we breathe, the water we drink, the foods we eat, and all the other natural products on which we depend. The achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) depends on the capacity of ecosystems to deliver these fundamental services, and we need to better govern and manage these resources. National development and human welfare (e.g., economic, health, education) policies and strategies must take into account the crucial role ecosystems play in their successful implementation, as there is no security without ecological security.

2. Yet the same ecosystem services and governance structures are threatened by unsustainable demands for resources (extractive, urban, agriculture, fisheries), climate change, political conflicts, and decades of inadequate and inappropriate management. Degraded ecosystems will compromise (or negate) progress that will be made in meeting the proposed SDGs – in economic, social, health, agriculture, marine and industrial areas. Good economic and ecological governance makes sustainable development a reality.

3. It is encouraging to see some nations acknowledging the state of their ecosystems, the threats they face, and the requirements needed to sustain them. Yet, to sustain development this “natural capital” should have the same weight in national policy-making as finance and other productive sectors. By recognizing the role ecosystems play in sustaining their development, nations must see the value in providing mechanisms for “environmental” considerations in all development, conservation and business issues. Ministries responsible for the environment and natural resources need to be granted higher stature in the constellation of governance sectors within a nation.

4. National priorities can no longer focus only on socio-economic growth. Nations must recognize the foundational role ecosystems play in meeting societal needs, and incorporate “ecosystem governance” into national development strategies. Ecosystem governance should connect top-down national policies with bottom-up implementation of development (e.g. ecosystem restoration, sustainable finance and investment). Simple implementable action plans can foster the delivery of ecosystem services for development and economic benefits. However this has to be context specific to respect scale, space, and culture.

5. Healthy ecosystems are an important risk avoidance and risk management strategy, and so make good economic sense, as there is no real security without ecological security, and we all rely on reliable and long term access to raw materials to sustain our lives, businesses, and nations. But we all have to be aware of the benefits ecosys-

tems provide us with, not just assume them.

1 Note: this is a summary document of a longer technical paper: Vasseur, L., D. Horning, M. Thornbush, E. Cohen-Shacham, A. Andrade, E. Barrow, S. Edwards, P. Wit, K. Bowers, Y. Guo, C. Zhu, K. Sepp (2015, draft). Wicked patterns and unchallenged solutions: bringing ecosystem governance to the forefront of the SDGs. IUCN, CEM, SFA (12 pp)

State Forestry IUCN/CEM Eco-Forum Global Administration

Ecosystems are critical for life on earth. Yet, with and practices of integrated ecosystem management, which growing human populations, technology improvement, health recognize the fact that ecosystem services are the foundation for care, and increasing levels of consumption, we are adding all socio-economic growth and sustainability. For instance it unprecedented pressures on global ecosystems. Through the conveys the dependency of human health and wellbeing on burning of fossil fuels and other economic activities, we are now environmental health; and that without sustainable healthy changing the global climate at a faster pace than has ever ecosystems there will be no sustainable healthy communities. occurred during geological times. Over 60% of ecosystems have Key to the success of the proposed SDGs is the been degraded to the point of not being able to remain effective engagement of different (local to global) stakeholders sustainable. Now some ecosystems or parts of others cannot to ensure they are responsibly involved in ecosystem governance. provide the services that are essential for life such as buffering Economic growth at the national scale can no longer be the sole against climate events, water cycling, soil fertility, etc. focus for sustainable development. New approaches to human Since the first UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in settlements, including sustainable cities, promoting healthy 1992, and the recognition of environmental degradation living and gender equity, and education for all are needed combined with inequalities in human development, nations have together with sustainable consumption and production. Adaptive pursued an agenda for better human wellbeing. The Millennium governance is central to achieving sustainable development. Development Goals (MDGs) provided a platform to help least Governance needs to connect top-down national policies with developed countries move forward in the development agenda bottom-up development strategies. Action plans should include and reduce disparities, especially in relation to poverty, health research to assess the status of social-ecological systems, and to and education. Other international agreements related to build alternative models that conserve ecosystem services for environmental security have been adopted, including the development while respecting the plurality of cultures and Convention on Biological Diversity (1992), the United Nations religions in the nations. Education will be crucial to this. There Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992), and the will be a need to adapt policies to integrate social-ecological United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (1994). systems, and ecosystem services into monitoring the SDGs, Authoritative assessments of the state of the world’s ecosystems which will require governments (local to global) to assess their are provided in: “Ecosystems and Human Well-Being: A current policies and determine how this can be done in an open Framework for Assessment” (2003) and “Ecosystems and human and integrated manner. well-being: current state and trends: findings of the Condition Capacity building is essential to move forward on and Trends Working Group” (2005); and more recently the integrating and respecting ecosystems in the SDGs as the development of the Red List of Ecosystems by IUCN. development of skills and competences in interdisciplinary work Has there been significant progress in achieving can lead to more effective local citizenship. Such action cannot human wellbeing since these agreements were adopted and just be left to the environmental sector and will have to target assessments undertaken? This is debatable as nations are policy makers as well as educators, researchers, artists, religious renewing or renegotiating several of these conventions. For the leaders, journalists, associations, private sector, etc. Partnerships past two decades, one of the main challenges remains: how to will be critical to effectively engage different sectors and provide implement these conventions effectively using and recognizing a medium for developing innovative solutions to better manage the centrality of the ecosystem approach. Learning from the less ecosystem services and support socio-economic development. than satisfactory achievement of some MDGs, more emphasis Funding will be needed especially for least developed countries must be placed on the central role ecosystems play in achieving where environmental degradation is frequently linked to development goals. This in turn requires more innovative development, and such funding should demonstrate the approaches to ecosystem governance to ensure that its importance of ecosystem health. integration is central to both the environmental and non- Sustainability approaches should embrace all aspects environmental sectors (planning, economics, commerce etc.). of ecosystems as part of both human needs and ecosystem Ecosystems cannot just be the responsibility of the natural services. By integrating people and ecosystems as part of resources and environmental sectors that are often politically balanced social-ecological systems, based on ecosystem weak. Healthy ecosystems are crucial for achieving all of the governance, it may be possible to achieve the SDGs. A first Sustainable Development Goals, from health and welfare to priority for nations should be to value ecosystem services from education and economic development. Because of the local to global scales, and to plan how best to conserve them connection between the critical supporting services ecosystems through adaptive ecosystem governance that stresses integration provide environmental goals and targets cannot be relegated to for sustainable development and human well-being. This implies an after-thought in the framing of the SDGs. enhancing the profile of ministries of natural resources and An integrated ecosystem approach to environment, ensuring that the importance of ecosystems are sustainable development that recognizes and supports the equal mainstreamed and reflected in national economic planning and importance of its socio-economic and environmental aspects are development, and integrating ecosystem indicators together with crucial, so as to put the ecosystem approach as the main priority. economic and social indicators to monitor progress towards Both human and ecosystem health can benefit from win-win sustainability. solutions. A more integrated social-ecological systems approach can assist us to resolve such challenges as climate change or population growth, in a manner that is not achievable by straightforward solutions such as policy, technology or innovation, we can achieve integration through the principles