Researchers found there is no need for policymakers to choose between protecting nature's benefits to people or protecting animal species. Their analysis shows that prioritizing nature's benefits to people simultaneously advances human development, nature conservation, and climate mitigation goals.
Historically, targets for protecting ecosystems and biodiversity have been criticized for inadequately accounting for the needs of people, particularly the needs of local and Indigenous communities.
A paper published in Nature Ecology & Evolution today and co-authored by researchers at King's College London, found that conserving 30% of the Earth's land and 24% of coastal waters would sustain 90% of nature's current contributions to people in every country—such as providing food, clean drinking water, protection from hazards, mental and physical well-being.
The study marks the most comprehensive mapping of nature's contributions to people globally yet to be published and provides information that decision-makers need to better account for impacts on local communities of conservation policies and investments.
"In trying to sustainably use land, too often there is an assumption that we must choose to either protect flora and fauna, or nature's benefits to people. What this research has shown is that you can do both because by targeting conservation efforts on areas which provide key contributions to people, we can also sustain much of global biodiversity and support climate change goals," says Co-author Mark Mulligan, Professor of Physical & Environmental Geography.
King's College London plays an active role in supporting policymakers in mapping conservation priority on land, for example through Co$tingNature; an open-access web-based tool developed by researchers at the university to map 16 of nature's contributions to people—five of which (livestock fodder, commercial and domestic timber, fuelwood, flood regulation) were used for this study.
As a multi-scale tool, Co$tingNature can be applied at higher spatial resolution for local and national scale analyses, in addition to the global scale mapping used for this paper.
Professor Mulligan, lead developer of Co$tingNature, added, "Understanding how much nature we need for sustainable human development—and where the most critical nature for people is—requires advanced satellite remote sensing and sophisticated spatial analysis of both supply and demand for nature's many contributions to people globally."
"Through this work, some of the leading global teams mapping nature's contributions to people have worked together to provide a set of global priorities: local and national analyses are now required to understand what actions in these places will best sustain nature's critical contributions to the people living in and near them—and the rest of us."
During the study, researchers found that prioritizing conservation, protection, and restoration efforts in the areas identified as 'critical natural assets' could maintain a high proportion of nature's current benefits to people.
Direct benefits of these critical natural areas are widespread—6.1 billion people live within one hour's travel and 3.7 billion people live downstream of the critical areas but many more people are impacted by the benefits from nature that enter the global supply chain from these areas.
These valuable ecosystems can be found in every corner of the planet. Some are well-known environmental powerhouses, like the Congo Basin forests. Others may fly under-the-radar, like the Appalachians in the US, but each one is vital to the respective communities it serves. Importantly, every country has some critical areas in which nature provides many benefits to local communities, often found in headwaters of large river basins or near heavily populated areas.
Lead author, Becky Chaplin-Kramer, Principal Research Scientist at the University of Minnesota, said, "All people on the planet benefit from nature. What is striking is just how many benefit from a relatively modest proportion of our total global land area. If we can maintain these areas in their current state through a variety of conservation mechanisms that allow the types of use that make them so valuable, we can ensure that these benefits continue for years to come."
"Global maps can provide a big picture view, and reveal large-scale patterns, but they require local context to make decisions for implementation. Ultimately, we hope this information can be used alongside other diverse values of nature, including intrinsic values of species. Recognizing the way people benefit from and rely on nature can help create lasting buy-in for conservation."
David Hole, study co-author and vice president for global solutions at Conservation International's Moore Center for Science, said, "One of the critical questions looking ahead will be: where should we focus our investments of time and resources? While nature is important everywhere, this study helps identify the places that are among the most important for the communities benefiting from these critical landscapes and seascapes, as well as humanity as a whole. Whether they are providing clean water, food security, or protection from storms, it's critical these areas are prioritized in global and national conservation efforts."
In just a few weeks the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will convene in Montreal to adopt new targets for biodiversity conservation, restoration, and management. Along with the global commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change, this new research will help influence sustainable development for the rest of the decade.
More information: Rebecca Chaplin-Kramer et al, Mapping the planet's critical natural assets, Nature Ecology & Evolution (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01934-5
Citation: Protecting areas most important to people will also benefit nature, finds global study (2022, November 28) retrieved 29 November 2022 from https://phys.Org/news/2022-11-areas-important-people-benefit-nature.Html
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Shell To Buy Danish Firm Nature Energy For Nearly $2 Billion
© Thomson Reuters Illustration shows Shell and Nature Energy logos(Reuters) - Shell said on Monday it would acquire Danish biogas producer Nature Energy for nearly $2 billion, as it looks to boost its low-carbon business amid growing interest in biogas.
Reuters had reported last month Shell was among a number of companies joining a second bidding round to acquire the Denmark-based company.
Nature Energy, which operates 12 biogas plants in Denmark and one in France and has others in the pipeline, confirmed the deal in a separate statement.
(Reporting by Muhammed Husain in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
Nature-Inspired Lessons To Communicate Better With Remote Teams
Nature has powerful lessons to teach us as leaders. This natural wisdom is timely now, not least of which because it is something that we all have in common. Furthermore, the resilience of natural systems is undeniable, amid great upheaval and challenge. Finally, we would do well to steward our natural resources better.
Specifically, horses are one of the most successful species on our planet. They are in the 1% of surviving creatures since the formation of Earth. The culture that has enabled this survival offers powerful insights about teamwork. And interacting with horses offers myriad lessons about leadership and collaboration.
Antonello Radicchi is a world-renowned horse trainer. His training is based on a deep study of communication between horses and people. Thanks to this study and his partnership with Count Antonio Bolza and the Reschio Stables in Umbria, he has produced some of the most responsive and versatile dressage animals in the world.
Antonello Radicchi has developed an empathetic and non-coercive training system with great success.
These successes rely on communicating with the horses to get them to do difficult things. A mandate that is very akin to that of modern leaders. Radicchi’s non-coercive approach looks a lot like the empathetic and collaborative leadership that is called for in today’s hybrid, fast-changing, and competitive business landscape. A closer look at his style offers specific tools that we can use to improve our communication as leaders, and ultimately our teams’ performance.
With Tact
Radicchi's book describes his powerful approach to training in great detail.
The essential building block of Radicchi’s method is contact. He breaks the word down into its Latin (and modern Italian) roots: with touch. Before we can even attempt to communicate with another being – whether equine or human – we must establish contact. He defines this connection as “the essence of feeling, of knowing, and of understanding,” in his book, Do You Speak Equis.
He reassures that we all have the ability to create this deep, multisensorial connection to others. But that we often allow the busy-ness of modern life, and complexity of relationships to obscure this deep, non-verbal connection. Radicchi cautions: “If there is no contact, there is no communication and without communication there is no rapport.”
Developing our innate ability to create contact with those around us is a learning process. We will make mistakes along the way. The important thing is to recognize our mistakes so we can progress toward a closer relationship, based on respect.
All of these insights come from Radicchi’s decades of work with horses. But there’s no question that they apply to our work as leaders. Before we worry about managing difficult conversations, delivering feedback, or inspiring our teams, we better create contact. And that contact should be characterized by closeness and respect.
Add Energy
Radicchi describes energy as ‘the primary requirement’ when it comes to training horses. As prey animals, horses conserve their energy at all costs. In other words, they avoid any movement that isn’t required to alleviate discomfort or escape a predator. Thanks to the physical force of inertia, humans aren’t that different.
The Reschio herd demonstrates the successful culture of leadership and collaboration that has made ... [+] horses one of the most successful species ever.
Nothing gets done by a team that doesn’t have energy for the work. And these days, burnout is so widespread that wise managers think a lot about managing their team’s energy. Successful energy management efforts go far beyond wellness perks. Like at Radicchi’s stable, it’s about doing what we can to ensure our people have the right nutrition, rest, equipment, and support from ourselves and their peers.
Once you’re sure that you have healthy contact with your team, there’s one more important ingredient before communicating what you need them to do. Ensure that they have the energy required for the work. Energy management is a worthy topic in and of itself. In extreme brevity, leaders who manage their team’s energy in today’s professional context ensure a few basic provisions:
Communicate Clearly
Once you have established at least a starting point in terms of contact and energy, you can begin asking your team to perform. Radicchi teaches his students a ‘grammar’ of the horse’s language. We presumably speak the same language as our employees. But differences in our position in the organization, to say nothing of our divergent backgrounds, call on us to ensure that we’re speaking in terms that make sense to them.
People are of course, not animals. We have more elaborate frontal cortexes that add to our ability to plan, remember past feelings and experiences, and project others’ feelings. Nonetheless, Radicchi’s insistence that we be clear and predictable with our instructions is a helpful reminder when leading a team or collaborating. Particularly in today’s hybrid, chaotic, and competitive workplace.
When a direction (or strategy) is not understood, it’s important to change the way it’s said, rather than simply repeating the same thing in the same way. Radicchi encourages his students to amplify the command to the horse, and if the desired response is still not obtained, to change the ask completely. Still using the horse’s language of course.
We would do well as leaders to follow this approach. If our teams aren’t performing the way we’d like, it’s on us to understand what isn’t clear to them. We must find a different way to explain our desired outcome, in a way that is comprehensible and motivating to them.
Recognize Intent
Finally, one of Radicchi’s most powerful – and most challenging - lessons is to recognize and reward the very intent to comply with your request. This requires that initial building block of contact to be extremely well-established. The trainer must be so connected to the horse that they feel the shift when the horse understands the request and intends to do it. Early in their training, horses don’t know how to do the high-level maneuvers that Radicchi and his proteges are asking for. To avoid discouragement and frustration, they must be rewarded for the courage and energy expended to try.
Similarly, in a fast-changing business context, we have to recognize our team’s mere willingness to keep up with our shifting needs. They are constantly having to learn new ways of working, as are we as leaders. This can be exhausting. But it can also be extremely engaging and rewarding – if the learning is supported by close and respectful contact with a motivating leader.
Be sure that you’re recognizing your team’s intent to make the changes and perform in the way your business needs. It’ll generate the energy we all need to navigate these challenging times.
This is the first of three articles sharing lessons from training, riding, and simply being with horses that have inspired breakthroughs and insights for leaders. These lessons apply to our own performance, our teams’ operations and management, and the ways our organizations serve the communities around them. Stay tuned for the next two this week. And in the meantime, next time you see a horse, whether on television, in a memory, while vacation planning, or on your next drive, look a little closer to see what you might learn.
Email me for a tool to start evaluating your leadership habits and making them more purposeful. Or click here to watch Radicchi’s training in action at Castello di Reschio.
