Infrastructure and Nature Webinar series

Setting the Scene: Converging Crises and Sustainable Infrastructure in a COVID-19 World Private and public sector panelists will set the stage for the webinar series, discussing barriers and opportunities for the private sector to catalyze sustainable investments that address the multiple crises we face today, from global biodiversity loss to climate change to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Swimming Upstream? Enabling Sustainable Infrastructure

Are current planning approaches and policy incentives enough to meet multiple crises head on? This session will highlight case studies where innovative tools and practices from the public and private sectors are helping governments create land use plans and infrastructure development portfolios that better balance trade-offs in climate risk management, biodiversity conservation, and equitable economic development.

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How to Deal with Biodiversity-Related Financial Risks in Infrastructure Investments

The lack of consideration of biodiversity risks within lending and investment decisions for infrastructure exposes financial institutions to material financial risks. This session will explore practical ways forward on how to identify, measure, and manage biodiversity-related financial risks in the infrastructure sector.

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Engineering with Nature

This session will advance the discussion on opportunities to apply nature-based solutions (NBS) as alternatives or additions to human-made infrastructure. Speakers will explore the business case through NBS experiences at all levels, from planning to implementation, highlighting the latest examples of how engineers are building with nature for increased benefits for people, resilience, and biodiversity.

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Balancing Ecological Connectivity and Linear Infrastructure

It is more important than ever to balance environmental conservation with the rapid development of linear infrastructure (roads, railways, power lines, canals, gas and oil pipelines, etc.). This session highlights best practices for sustainable linear infrastructure development that protect the ecological connectivity of our planet.

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Ramifications for IUCN WCC and Beyond: What Have We Learned?

This session will test the solutions discussed throughout the webinar series with a convened panel of policy experts. Will these do enough to arrest declines in biodiversity, rapidly worsening climate extremes, and economic inequality in a pandemic? What essential actionable items should be discussed at the World Conservation Congress and incorporated into the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and other policy platforms in 2021 and beyond?

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