What can be done?
Policies and legislation should promote integrated land-use planning to prevent conflicts between food production, nature conservation and energy needs. Integrated planning enables governments to balance multiple objectives, such as climate mitigation, rural development and ecosystem protection, within a coherent spatial framework. An example is the aforementioned integration of biofuel production into landscape restoration, wetland recovery and degraded land rehabilitation programmes. Nutrient-rich byproducts of biofuel production, such as biochar and digestate, can help return organic materials to the soil, promoting nutrient cycling that can close the loop in agricultural production.
Public incentives such as the use of biodiesel in public transport fleets are also crucial. Additionally, policies that incentivise the transition to second and third-generation biofuels must be strengthened. This is essential because advanced biofuels typically require higher upfront investment, more complex supply chains and clearer long-term policy signals to become competitive with fossil fuels and first-generation biofuels.
In parallel, the development and promotion of sustainability standards and certification schemes can guide investments and trade in sectors such as agriculture and forestry, while also helping establish safeguards for biodiversity and human rights (GBEP 2020).
Measures to empower communities focused on second and third-generation biofuels can ensure participatory processes that meaningfully include Indigenous Peoples and local communities in decision-making, strengthen transparency, legitimacy and social acceptance of biofuel initiatives, while limiting the risk of job losses. At the same time, targeted support for smallholders and rural enterprises through capacity building, technical assistance and fair market access is essential to enable a just transition toward sustainable biofuel production. Ensuring inclusive market conditions helps prevent rural marginalisation, supports livelihood diversification and allows smallholders to benefit from biofuel development.
As the costs of producing advanced biofuels, especially third-generation biofuels, remain high, more efficient technologies are needed to reduce costs and improve biomass feedstock conversion efficiency to scale sustainable production. Advanced conversion technologies such as gasification, pyrolysis and enzymatic hydrolysis can enhance overall energy yields, reduce waste, lower greenhouse gas emissions and improve the economic and environmental sustainability of biofuel production systems. On the supply chain side, digital tools and technologies such as remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems, artificial intelligence and blockchain can help monitor land use, improve efficiency and ensure transparency.
Finally, strengthened international cooperation is needed to help harmonise sustainability standards across countries and ensure consistent safeguards. Platforms where IUCN plays an observer role, such as the Global Bioenergy Partnership, hosted by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation and the Clean Energy Ministerial, offer valuable spaces to align methodologies, share best practices and promote science-based approaches to sustainable bioenergy. In addition, the joint platform on sustainable biofuels, launched by IUCN and the UN Economic Commission for Europe, provides an opportunity to coordinate work on sustainability criteria, data transparency and capacity building across regions.
Such multilateral platforms and development finance institutions can be leveraged to support nature-positive biofuel projects, helping countries adopt harmonised sustainability frameworks while mobilising investment for advanced biofuels that contribute to climate mitigation, biodiversity protection and rural development.
