Another way of managing global climate change impacts: Conservation

Global Conservation Works

I have explored various strategies aiming to mitigate or adapt for global warming in previous posts, and it came to my mind that conservation is one of the most important strategies in coping with serious climate change impacts as well; 

     With over 1,000 government and civil society members participating, first global conservation priorities have been set at the The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress that took place at Honolulu, Hawaii in September, 2016. The targets include promoting nature-based solutions to climate change, biodiversity conservation in renewable energy development and restricting illegal trade in endangered species (IUCN, 2016). 

The IUCN RedList - Listing of different levels of species status (Source: IUCN RedList). 

      The members of IUCN defined nature-based solutions, as 'actions that protect  manage ecosystems, while effectively addressing societal challenges, such as food and water security, climate change, disaster risk reduction, human health and economic well-being' (IUCN, 2016). This concept is agreed to be achieved with association to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Also, IUCN members agreed to focus on encouraging the renewable energy implement for energy efficiency that takes biodiversity conservation into account. Moreover, some of the members suggested raising greater efforts on minimising the offshore renewable energy impacts on marine species. 


     It was interesting to read about how conservation works can be an act responding to climate change, as well as caring for the side-effects of renewable energy implementation that is often regarded as 'flawless' strategy in terms of environmental damage.