On February 1, 2022, the Leningrad Regional Branch VOOP took part in the IUCN Global Virtual Members Conference ‘Nature-based Recovery – to invest in Nature now is to invest in our collective future’.
The session focused on the importance of including Nature at the core of post-pandemic economic recovery investment. IUCN held three conferences ahead of the IUCN Congress in Marseille in September 2021, where Members adopted the Marseille Manifesto, which focuses on the biodiversity crisis and climate emergency and calls for a post-pandemic recovery based on nature. Unfortunately, the Leningrad Regional Branch VOOP was unable to join the work of the IUCN Congress in Marseille due to covid restrictions. However, we took part in the online session on February 1, 2022 and want to share the results of the meeting.
In the first part of the conference, IUCN Members and National and Regional Committees (South and East Asia, North Africa, Oceania) presented the experience of economic recovery in the new reality of COVID pandemic.
The speaker presented the economic and social benefits of investing in nature, different experiences of countries in adhering to the Nature-based Recovery. After presentations, the conference participants moved on to the Breakout Discussion Questions in groups. Questions for discussion: 1) Since the beginning of 2021, have you seen any change to recovery plans in your country and their inclusion of investment in nature? 2) What are you committed to do to ramp up investment in Nature? 3) How can IUCN support the move from talk to action?
Marina Grigorieva, Project Manager, spoke on behalf of the Leningrad Regional Branch VOOP. The priority of GDP growth in Russia was noted, as well as support for a number of environmental projects in 2021 (including those initiated by the VOOP) both by state grants, and business, it indicates a common interest in the Nature-based Recovery. These initiatives open up new economic, cultural and social opportunities for entrepreneurs and local residents. Communication with state actors, organization of meetings to present the best Nature-based Recovery practices can help the IUCN to become an even more effective promoter for the idea of investing in Nature.
In general, the meeting was held at a high level, the organizers thanked all participants for their speeches and ideas. The Leningrad Regional Branch VOOP plans to further contribute to at improving the performance of the IUCN through the inclusion and proliferation of initiatives.
* International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international non-profit organization working in the field of biodiversity conservation. IUCN members are about 200 governmental and 800 non-governmental organizations from more than 140 countries around the world. The Leningrad Regional Branch VOOP considers it important to be involved in efforts of the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it.
