Our focus topic for 2024 is Biodiversity. We want to give the topic the attention it deserves, since alongside the climate crisis, the drastic decline in biodiversity is now a very real and present threat to our existence – for both the people and the planet.
The German Sustainability Action Days focused on biodiversity as their central theme this year. From September 18 to October 8, 2024, the Action Days provided a platform for everyone actively engaged in protecting and promoting biological diversity and beyond.
A special highlight, as every year, were our flagship projects, which showcased inspiring examples of sustainable action and the protection of our natural resources.
Do you want to get involved in the next Action Days? Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date and never miss out!
In six short episodes, we introduce innovative and biodiversity-promoting projects in the joint action for sustainable development. We visit six fields of biodiversity. We travel to the fields and moors, to cities and nature reserves, visit educational institutions and take a look at what the economy is doing on the subject of biodiversity. For each project, there is a fact sheet with all the important information on implementation - you are encouraged to follow along!
Biodiversity, or biological diversity, consists of three elements that are closely and dynamically connected: first, it comprises species diversity – in other words, how many different biological species (animals, plants, fungi and microorganisms) there are in a particular habitat. Then, it includes genetic diversity, which describes the different genetic information of all these organisms. The third element is diversity of ecosystems – for example, forests, moors, oceans or lakes, but also agricultural areas and urban nature – as well as their interdependence and functions, such as pollination and seed dispersal. Biodiversity, therefore, is fundamental to safeguarding the health and functionality of our planet. Yet, this very basis of our existence is under threat.
We want to outline the relevance of biodiversity in three statements:
*
Biodiversity is the basis of our existence
Preservation of the biosphere, in which biodiversity is an essential element, forms the basis of our society and the way we do business. This is very clearly illustrated by the “SDG wedding cake” above: biodiversity, which falls primarily within SDG 15 “Life on land”, but also SDG 14 “Life below water” and others, plays a fundamental role for our biosphere. As such, sustainable development of our society – with the aim of ending poverty, creating healthy living conditions, enabling social and economic development and stability, promoting peace and justice, and maintaining prosperity and a decent quality of life – is not possible if the underlying foundation of a stable environment and intact nature is unstable.
Biodiversity as a powerful SDG lever
The protection and regeneration of biodiversity are strong levers for achieving sustainability. SDG 14 “Life below water” and SDG 15 “Life on land” are the goals that focus on biodiversity, but they also have a positive impact on many of the other SDGs, including health and food security. Championing biodiversity thus presents an enormous opportunity for the necessary transformative change.
Biodiversity and the fight against climate change
Healthy ecosystems are natural climate protectors in various ways. For example, forests and meadows, soil and marshland, oceans and bodies of water, near-natural green spaces in the city and the country, store large quantities of greenhouse gases, leading to less susceptibility to environmental and climate changes, such as extreme weather events. In urban areas, they provide us with ecosystem benefits like shade from trees or increasing moisture content the air, which in turn cushion the impacts of climate change. All this makes strong biodiversity essential for climate action to succeed.
The subject of biodiversity is anchored in the German Sustainable Development Strategy under the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15, which deals with life on land. Specifically, it seeks to protect, restore, and promote the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, to sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation and biodiversity loss. As a cross-cutting issue with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, it is also closely linked to: SDG 2 "food security", SDG 6 "water", SDG 11 "sustainable urban development", SDG 12 "sustainable consumption and production patterns", SDG 13 "climate action" and SDG 14 "seas".
Share your best practice examples with the community on the Marketplace
Organise your own event on the topic of Biodiversity in your region and add it to the event calendar
Get the ball rolling on protection and preservation of biodiversity in your organisation – whether it’s a museum, sports club, local authority, nursery or family business.
Here we provide you with our How-to guides for getting your organisation started on supporting the preservation and regeneration of biodiversity. If you know of any more material that you would like to share with us, please drop us an email.