The time is now to invest in nature. Countries are responding to the economic impacts of COVID by allocating trillions of dollars to fiscal stimulus packages and beginning to develop longer-term economic recovery programs. Governments will likely invest much more to get economies and societies back in shape over the next years. 

The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing us all to re-think the status quo, opening the door for sustained investments in nature and Nature-based Solutions (NbS) to be part of the recovery. Investing in nature has immediate and long-term benefits for economic development and stability, community health and well-being as well as climate change resilience and biodiversity conservation. A nature-based recovery can also build the foundation for reaching the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

COVID recovery and our planet’s repair can be two sides of the same coin .
UN Secretary General António Guterres

IUCN's goals for a nature-based recovery

Our ambition for the IUCN Nature-based Recovery Initiative is to ensure that governments direct at the very least 10% of overall investments to nature and that economic investment post-COVID does no additional harm to nature and livelihoods.

Throughout 2021 and into 2022, IUCN will focus on three interlinked and complementary areas to help governments invest in a green, nature-based post-COVID recovery:

Expanding and sharing our understanding of the role of nature and Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in recovery;
Assessing financial investments in recovery packages and how they can be driven to become greener and nature-positive ; and
Inviting and engaging with IUCN Members & partners to elevate the case for a nature-based recovery.
IUCN will update this page with additional information as it becomes available.