Implementation of the GBF targets through IKI projects

The IKI project TerraMar, implemented by the GIZ, addresses various GBF targets through their work in Pernambuco, Brazil. For instance, in the Formoso River Estuary, unique mangrove and marine ecosystems exist along with endangered plant and animal species. This region also plays a vital role in providing livelihoods for traditional fishing communities. To reconcile the socioeconomic interests of tourism and traditional fishing with biodiversity conservation in the area, TerraMar supported environmental agencies in developing participatory environmental management processes. One such initiative is the Territorial Zoning of Nautical Activities (ZATAN) in the Formoso River Estuary, which involves a variety of stakeholders, including public authorities and local fishing communities. It also integrates traditional knowledge into conservation approaches addressing targets 1, 3, 4, 20 & 21. Additionally, TerraMar provides capacity development for biodiversity monitoring, social and environmental management, as well as fisheries management, contributing to target 22.

While peatlands occupy only three percent of the global land surface, they store about 30 percent of the terrestrial carbon, which is twice as much as all forests combined. As a result, they play a crucial role in the fight against climate change. Healthy peatlands are also essential for preserving biodiversity. Many of the peatland species are highly specialised and are not found in other habitat types. Intact peatlands are home and refuge to rare, migratory and threatened species such as orangutans, gorillas, the Sumatran tiger and the Aquatic Warbler (target 4). They even support biodiversity beyond their borders by regulating water flows in surrounding areas. Protecting the integrity, connectivity and resilience of these ecosystems (targets 1 & 2) – is the primary goal of the Global Peatlands Initiative. This helps to prevent biodiversity loss and contributes to global climate regulation (targets 8 & 11).

The project supports the integrated management planning (target 1) of different sites protected under the Ramsar Convention, for example the Pong Dam Lake in Himachal Pradesh (target 3). Several migratory bird species frequent this site as a wintering site (target 4). The lake system is used for irrigation, generation of hydropower and for flood regulation while also providing livelihood to local communities through fishing and tourism (targets 10 & 11).

"Hutan Harapan", or "Forest of Hope" in English, is the name of an Indonesian lowland rainforest, and the IKI project that conserves it. The project, implemented by KfW, covers a site of almost 100,000 hectares, managed by an international consortium consisting of NABU, KfW, RSPB, BirdLife International and Burung Indonesia. Together with indigenous people and local communities, the consortium conserves and restores this globally significant lowland rainforest and its ecosystem services for future generations - an important step to fight the biodiversity and climate crisis (targets 2 & 3). The area hosts an extraordinary diversity of flora and fauna and is one of the last refuges for many threatened species, among them several rare species of hornbills and primates (target 4).