WASHINGTON, October 28, 2020—Today CEOs from 21 leading conservation and sustainable development organizations, including the World Resources Institute, have come together in unparalleled consensus to urge policymakers to integrate nature into COVID-19 response and recovery efforts. The group released a set of recommendations for policymakers, COVID-19 Response and Recovery: Nature-Based Solutions for People, Planet and Prosperity.
Following is a statement from Dr. Charles Barber, Senior Biodiversity Advisor, World Resources Institute, who chaired the process to develop the recommendations:
“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the world that the destruction of our natural environment has a profound impact on human wellbeing – these issues are interconnected. Our community of experts agrees that taking a nature-based approach is absolutely essential for nature and is often the most effective way of tackling the corresponding public health and economic crises.
“The Nature-Based recommendations for policymakers provide a concise and practical roadmap for governments and other stakeholders to confront the intertwined challenges of COVID-19, biodiversity loss, climate change and sustainable development.”
The recommendations for policymakers, COVID-19 Response and Recovery: Nature-Based Solutions for People, Planet and Prosperity, can be found here and the list of signatories is below.
- 1t.org – Nicole Schwab, Co-Director
- Bank Information Center – Elena Berger, Executive Director
- Birdlife International– Patricia Zurita, CEO
- Conservation International – M. Sanjayan, CEO
- Capitals Coalition – Mark Gough, CEO
- Earth Day Network – Kathleen Rogers, President
- Earth League International – Andrea Crosta, Founder and Executive Director
- Global Environment Facility – Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, CEO and Chairperson
- Imagine – Paul Polman, Chair
- International Fund for Animal Welfare – Azzedine Downes, President and CEO
- International Primatological Society – Karen B. Strier, President
- Mission Blue – Sylvia Earle, President and Chair
- Nature4Climate – Lucy Almond, Director and Chair
- Thinking Animals United – Bonnie Wyper, President
- The Nature Conservancy – Jennifer Morris, CEO
- Tropical Forest Alliance – Justin Adams, Executive Director
- Wildlife Conservation Society – Cristián Samper, President and CEO
- World Business Council for Sustainable Development – Peter Bakker, President and CEO
- World Resources Institute – Andrew Steer, President and CEO
- WWF International – Marco Lambertini, Director General
- Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative – Jodi Hilty, President and Chief Scientist
World Resources Institute (WRI) is a global research organization that spansmore than 60 countries, with international offices in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico and the United States, regional offices in Ethiopia (for Africa) and the Netherlands (for Europe), and program offices in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Turkey and the United Kingdom. Our more than 1,000 experts and staff turn big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity and human well-being.