$500 billion to save Our One Home
“Our well-being, our economies, everything depends on a healthy planet – and yet we continue to neglect it. Back FFI’s Our One Home campaign to put power back into the hands of the people who most need it.” Sir David Attenborough
The natural world is in crisis. Scientists have warned that up to a million species could be driven to extinction this century. In the last 50 years, the world’s wildlife populations have fallen by 70%, with nature being pushed to the brink by deforestation, land conversion and poaching.
This destruction of nature is also harming the ability of ecosystems to absorb and store carbon emissions, exacerbating the climate crisis.
Covid-19 was a warning – when nature is misused and abused, there will be consequences, and human well-being will suffer. We must urgently turn the tide, for the sake of our irreplaceable wildlife, for our incredible planet, and for humanity itself.
We’re calling on global governments to commit an initial $500 billion to protect nature, with that amount increasing every year.
It is estimated that the world spends less than $90 billion a year on conservation and nature protection. In comparison, governments spend more than $5 trillion every year on subsidies for fossil fuels.
To coincide with the UN Summit on Biodiversity, Fauna & Flora International (FFI) delivered a letter to the UN Secretary-General – signed by almost 150 conservation groups from over 50 countries – urging member states to collectively commit an initial $500 billion in funding for nature conservation worldwide.
We cannot try to solve a crisis while simultaneously fuelling a crisis. Governments must stop funding activities and industries – such as the fossil fuel industry – that are harmful to nature.
We have a responsibility to future generations. Join us in calling on the governments of the world to step up and take this responsibility seriously – before it’s too late.
In addition to the daily actions we take as custodians of the Earth, local conservation efforts play a vital role in protecting our natural world. I feel so passionately about supporting this campaign which brings funding to those who need it the most.
The UN Convention on Biological Diversity calculated that $900 billion was needed to protect and restore nature worldwide. FFI’s proposal for a $500 billion yearly funding commitment would scale upwards by $50 billion year-on-year.
Local and community-based conservation efforts provide the most effective long-term solutions for both nature and human well-being. FFI knows this first-hand, having worked with and through local communities throughout the world for well over a century to safeguard species and their habitats. The funding would enable local conservation organisations to restore and protect the priceless ecosystems that keep our planet healthy.
Local communities and organisations have irreplaceable knowledge of the natural world that is vital to sustaining healthy ecosystems. But their voices are too often ignored and marginalised in decision making. It’s time to stop talking and listen to the people on the ground who are operating on the front line of conservation.