Integrating action to tackle the interconnected biodiversity and water crises

All life on Earth depends on biodiversity and water, however these invaluable natural resources are under increasing threat. Activities from the water sector and other industries such as escalating water abstraction rates, flow modification, wetland habitat conversion, increased nutrient loads and pollution impact water availability and quality, where these impacts can be magnified in areas of water stress. As a result, freshwater ecosystems have the highest number of species under threat of extinction and exhibit some of the fastest rates of biodiversity loss among all biomes.

There is an urgent need to shift to a model where actors sustainably use and conserve freshwater and seawater resources, in order to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030. This session will explore how the biodiversity and water crises can be tackled hand-in-hand, by discussing the steps businesses can take to improve water stewardship across landscapes, and opportunities for policymakers and financial institutions to support private sector action.