On the topic of environment, climate and resilience – how do you strengthen biodiversity?

In September, SMC organized a workshop in environment, climate and resilience together with the national network Kenya4Resilience and the Medical Mission, with participants from eight member organizations and their partners in Africa. An important theme was how we can strengthen biological diversity within the intervention activities.

The threat to biological diversity at the global level is extensive and the crisis increases every year according to TheIntergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Populations of birds, fish and mammals have declined by an average of 69% since 1970. Land conversion on land is something that is already affecting large parts of the world, something that our partners are already struggling with at the local level.

The importance of adjustment and change work

We see that there is a strong connection between resilience and biodiversity. A society that has good biodiversity is also more resilient in relation to shocks and crises. Through the work to increase biological diversity, erosion and the destruction of land is reduced and instead the food supply, access to clean water and people’s health and quality of life are secured. It is also the case that an increase in biodiversity has a positive effect on climate change.

To create change in this area, all actors must pull in the same direction. During the workshop, we were able to see several examples, from for example WWF, Vi Skogen and Kenyan organizations, of how a minor adjustment in the intervention activities can directly work to increase biological diversity. We learned more about how partners can participate in national processes to influence decision-makers, both at national and global level. Perhaps the most important result from the workshop was how partners in, among others, Uganda, Zambia and Burkina Faso come together to create their own networks to strengthen work with the environment, climate and resilience.