WSP at COP 15: It is time to act and build a better future for all life on earth

COP 15 — the UN Biodiversity Conference taking place in Montreal, December 7 - 19, 2022 — is where public- and private-sector leaders will come together to address the accelerating loss of biodiversity and set important targets for combatting the devastating effects of loss of our natural ecosystems and wildlife.

IntroductionWSP at COP 15Meet our ExpertsInsights

Biodiversity’s Impact on Climate Change

Ambitious commitments at COP 15 are important because biodiversity plays an important role in climate change mitigation and adaptation, and the protection and restoration of ecosystems is essential to achieving our carbon targets. We are at a crucial turning point to ensure the continued health of our planet, so it is critical that we take steps to conserve and restore biodiversity now. This includes protecting natural habitats, restoring degraded ecosystems, and promoting sustainable use of resources.

The goal of COP 15 is to set the framework for an ambitious plan to transform society’s relationship with biodiversity globally. This means halting biodiversity loss by 2030 and achieving recovery and restoration by 2050 to safeguard nature and our future. This year, COP 15 will focus on adopting the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, a series of targets designed to improve the resilience of ecosystems, including eliminating plastic waste and ensuring at least 30% of land and sea areas are protected.

Climate change is already causing significant loss of biodiversity, and this trend is expected to accelerate as the global temperature continues to warm. The COP 15 conference is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for global leaders to discuss the most effective ways to reverse biodiversity loss and secure a bright future for all of us and generations yet to come.

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WSP at COP 15

WSP is at the forefront of the preservation of nature and biodiversity. We are initiating conversations with our global clients, engaging with decision-making bodies, and leading projects that challenge traditional approaches to build ecological resilience.

Organisations and businesses have a key role to play in reversing the loss of nature and doing so in ways that work hand-in-hand with Net Zero carbon targets and other Environmental and Social Governance (ESG) goals. WSP brings unparalleled expertise, years of experience and a diverse set of strengths to support urgent action on nature:

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Accounting for natural capital

Our natural capital approach helps clients uncover the true economic costs of biodiversity loss and diminished ecosystem function, providing a better understanding of how to manage the associated risks, enhance value and increase resilience.

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Ecological revitalization

We design approaches for restoring habitat integrity and improving the processes and function of degraded ecological systems, leading to long-term recovery and resilience.

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Strategic advisory and guidance

We provide organizations with strategic advice and guidance for incorporating a nature-positive approach across their organisation and embedding nature into environmental, social and governance strategy, including contributing to the delivery of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

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Enhancing the built environment

We deliver nature-based solutions through designing green infrastructure that support ecosystem function by integrating biodiversity into the fabric of the built environment, such as constructed wetlands, vegetated roofs, living shorelines and wildlife corridors.

Visit our Biodiversity & Natural Capital hub and explore more insights and case studies

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Meet us at COP 15

Are you attending COP 15? Meet our experts on-site as they discuss a new way forward to tackle the biodiversity crises and secure our common future.

André-Martin Bouchard
Global Director, Earth & Environment
Contact
Tom Butterworth
Head of Ecology
United Kingdom
Contact
Olivier Joyal
Executive Vice-President, Earth & Environment
Canada
Contact
Patrick Lafrance
Vice President, Environment
Canada
Contact
Paula Bentham
Senior Principal Ecologist, MSc, P.Biol, RPBiol
Canada
Contact
Kyle Knopff
Principal, Senior Wildlife Biologist
Canada
Contact
Jenny Merriman
Technical Director, Team Leader - Natural Capital and Biodiversity
United Kingdom
Contact
Margot Greenen
Assistant Consultant - Nature Positive
United Kingdom
Contact

Rethinking Biodiversity: Broader, Bolder, Better

With COP 15 aspiring to set biodiversity on a path to recovery with the goal of living in harmony with nature by 2050, it is apparent that achieving this will require a broader, bolder, and better approach. Our WSP experts share their transformative ideas for enhancing ecosystems, preserving nature, and creating healthier communities in our latest insights:

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UN Biodiversity Conference - An Agreement to Act Upon

Last December in Montreal, almost 200 nations came together to agree the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), setting a vision of a world living in harmony with nature by 2050 and with 23 targets set to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. 

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What you can expect from the COP 15 UN Biodiversity Conference

A new mandate for the global protection and restoration of nature could be determined as part of the discussions at the UN Biodiversity Conference, COP 15.

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COP 15 for a Nature-Positive World

Biodiversity is vital to the survival of life on earth. Protecting our biodiversity assets, at a global scale, has never been more important.

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Nature-Based Solutions For Our Nature-Positive Journey

The term “nature-based solutions” is relatively new to the industry, but its concept is not. Quite simply, it’s working with nature – from the plants, bacteria and fungi to the scale of the ecosystem – to solve social and economic issues.

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Indigenous Reconciliation through Biodiversity Projects

Listening, and collaborating, to create stronger solutions for biodiversity protection and restoration.

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Financing nature and the growth of natural capital markets

Look around and everything you see is a product of nature – from the food we eat to the buildings we live in and the roads we drive on. The entirely of our economy is dependent on and embedded in nature.

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