Feature image photo credit: Emmanuel, Adobe Stock.
This year, USGBC will engage with the global community at the Biodiversity COP 16 to advance practical solutions for the built environment to reverse biodiversity loss and enhance biodiversity value. Taking place in Cali, Colombia, from Oct. 21 through Nov. 1, COP 16 will feature three main areas of focus:
- Further developing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (also known as the Biodiversity Plan) for global implementation
- Collaborating for improved resource mobilization and technical cooperation to invest in nature
- Accelerating progress on access and benefit-sharing
USGBC will highlight its impacts on biodiversity through LEED and the Sustainable SITES Initiative (SITES). Learn more in the report Real Estate and Biodiversity: What You Need to Know.
Sessions to connect with USGBC and SITES
Biopolis 2024 Global Symposium: Living Landscapes and Infrastructures for Healthy Communities
Oct. 22–23
Join USGBC leaders and keynote speakers, including Peter Templeton, president and CEO of USGBC and GBCI, and Elizabeth Beardsley, senior policy counsel for USGBC, at this free, two-day symposium ahead of COP 16. Tickets must be reserved by Oct. 8.
COP 16: Every construction project is an opportunity to protect biodiversity
Oct. 26, 4–5 p.m. GMT-5
The real estate industry has a unique opportunity to prioritize biodiversity, integrate conservation and restoration practices, and implement nature-based solutions throughout its life cycle, from project design and construction to the operations and maintenance phases. This panel focuses on proven solutions to support nature that can be adopted at various scales of the built environment (including LEED, LEED for Communities and SITES certifications) through exemplary projects that help to show what is possible, educating the local design and construction community, disseminating best practices, and demonstrating leadership and innovation. (This event is part of the Biodiversity Economies/Sustainable Cities theme.)
If you are attending COP16, we’d like to know! Please reach out to us.
Designing and developing biodiverse land projects through SITES
As a comprehensive guide to land development, SITES is uniquely positioned to address the targets outlined in the Global Biodiversity Framework, guiding property owners, developers, designers and others in prioritizing biodiversity within their projects. SITES is an ideal tool to ensure accountability and verify implementation of nature-based solutions, as well as celebrate leadership and innovation.
Many of the credits in the SITES rating system are directly correlated to the 23 targets found in the Global Biodiversity Framework, such as:
- Target 1: Plan and Manage All Areas to Reduce Biodiversity Loss
- Target 2: Restore 30% of All Degraded Ecosystems
- Target 3: Conserve 30% of Land, Waters and Seas
- Target 6: Reduce the Introduction of Invasive Alien Species by 50% and Minimize their Impact
- Target 8: Minimize the Impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity and Build Resilience
- Target 12: Enhance Green Spaces and Urban Planning for Human Well-Being and Biodiversity
Nature-based solutions are key to supporting a healthy, biodiverse future. They are mentioned specifically in Target 8 and are a driving feature of the SITES v2 rating system.
The SITES integrative design process brings all necessary voices to the table throughout the design and development process, allowing biodiversity to be part of the decision-making process from the onset. Key strategies include
- Working with stakeholders and site users to incorporate local knowledge into the design and promote benefit-sharing.
- Requiring the conservation of existing critical, rare, sensitive and healthy areas like floodplains, wetlands, and habitats of threatened and endangered species.
- Prohibiting the use of invasive plants and requiring a multiyear control and management plan for invasive species.
- Emphasizing the importance of healthy soil throughout the process, including protection and restoration tactics, so it can provide a foundation for vegetation and habitat.
- Prioritizing restoration that uses native plants and creates habitat where land has been degraded.
- Promoting sustainable material sourcing to protect ecosystems and their communities, in addition to strategies for reducing pollution, waste and resource consumption.
- Sharing guidance and education for contractors and site managers on protecting and managing healthy soil and vegetation