Around the world, countries are failing to crack down on the drivers of biodiversity loss. None of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets for 2020 have been met, and according to WWF’s most recent Living Planet Index, an estimated 1 million species (500,000 animals and plants and 500,000 insects) are now threatened with extinction. To turn the tide on the emergency going forwards, adequate financing mechanisms will be required to boost investment in conservation and restoration. Promising trends towards sustainable finance, impact investment and responsible production will need to be scaled, and instruments to ensure that investment plans are evaluated for their potential risk to nature will need to be strengthened.

This session brings together expert practitioners from the public and private sectors to discuss existing approaches in the field of financial instruments, good practices and lessons learned, as well as how to bring successful approaches to scale, and link COVID-19 response measures to financing for a biodiversity-friendly future.