Unlocking nature-smart development : An approach paper on biodiversity and ecosystem services

This paper makes the case that the rapid global decline in nature is a development issue and proposes six global response areas intended to guide governments and inform broader discussions on how to integrate nature into development agendas. Unlocking Nature-Smart Development: An Approach Paper on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services is part of a series of papers by the World Bank Group that outlines the development challenges and opportunities associated with blue and green biodiversity and ecosystem services. As countries formulate a set of new global biodiversity targets, this paper also offers insights that could inform the design and implementation of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, as well as the World Bank Group’s ongoing support to this agenda.

This approach paper outlines the development challenges and opportunities associated with blue and green biodiversity and ecosystem services in the run-up to CBD COP-15. By adopting a development focus, stressing the importance of mainstreaming nature in decision making at all levels, and seeking to harness additional finance, the paper is consistent with negotiation efforts. It outlines six global response areas on which countries could focus to unlock nature-smart development to promote efficiency, resilience, and inclusion. In support of these efforts, the paper also outlines contributions of the WBG to the six response areas, which include closing the biodiversity and ecosystem services data gaps; increasing institutional capacity to manage natural capital effectively; engaging financial and economic policy makers to bring biodiversity into macroeconomic, financial sector, and trade policy; and fostering intersectoral and global cooperation.