IKI funded biodiversity projects in China

The IKI has been cooperating with the Chinese government on various projects since 2008 to achieve internationally agreed biodiversity goals – within China and internationally.

In order to comprehensively implement the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity, joint action by the international community is indispensable. China – the host country of the CBD COP 15 – plays a crucial role in the global efforts to biodiversity protection. Therefore, the International Climate Initiative (IKI) supports international cooperation with China on biodiversity. Building on the Joint Declaration on Combating Climate Change (2009) and its expansion to include the environment and topics on biodiversity (2021), the IKI has been cooperating with the Chinese government on various projects to achieve the agreed biodiversity goals within China and internationally.

Currently, there are nine ongoing IKI funded projects which support China in the conservation of biodiversity by working together with Chinese counterparts on the national, regional, and local levels (for a comprehensive list of IKI funded biodiversity projects in China see below). These projects cover topics such as marine and coastal biodiversity (Blue Solutions - Implementing the CBD Strategic Plan in the field of marine and coastal biodiversity), reduction of deforestation in company supply chains for palm oil, beef, soy, paper and pulp (Tropical Forest Alliance (TFA) Phase 2) and reduction of the impact of air, soil and water pollution on human health and the environment (World Bank Group’s Pollution Management and Environmental Health (PMEH) Multi-Donor Trust Fund).

Some of these projects work on issues of immediate relevance to the CBD COP 15 in Kunming. For example, the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN II) is aiming to improve the framework conditions for biodiversity financing in its partner countries, one of them being China. Closing the finance gap needed for effective biodiversity protection is a key target in the First Detailed Draft of the New Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework released by the Secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in preparation of the CBD COP 15. BIOFIN II is supporting this goal by aiming to close existing knowledge gaps on the actual costs of implementing biodiversity strategies, where to get the necessary funds and how to implement strategies. Furthermore, the initiative supports the development and implementation of financing solutions.

The Sino-German Environmental Partnership (SGEP), on the other hand, has helped make biodiversity an important component to overall Sino-German bilateral cooperation. The SGEP biodiversity component is working to facilitate dialogues and exchanges between the two sides, and to provide support to the development and implementation of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. Furthermore, in cooperation with the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) and the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), SGEP explores how to best promote the exchange of experiences. This is on the prevention and control of air, water, and soil pollutions, as well as concrete policy recommendations and solutions on biodiversity protection and sustainable production as well as consumption patterns. This aims to contribute to more effective environmental governance and nature conservation in China, as one of the most biologically diverse regions in the world.