Date

2025/8/22 (Fri)16:00-18:00（JST）

Field

Nature-positive approaches to combating desertification

Venue / Event Format

InterContinental / Hybrid (In-person and Online)

Co-Host

SynecO

Background

According to the World Economic Forum (WEF, 2020), over half of global GDP—equivalent to approximately USD 44 trillion—is dependent on nature. Nevertheless, around 25 percent of all known plant and animal species, or roughly one million species, are currently at risk of extinction (IPBES, 2019), underscoring the gravity of the situation.

In December 2022, the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP15) adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), which aims to place biodiversity on a path to recovery by 2030 and to realize a world living in harmony with nature by 2050. Within this framework, the concept of a “Nature-Positive” approach was recognized as a global goal to halt biodiversity loss and restore ecosystems by 2030.
In parallel, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) promotes the concept of “Land Degradation Neutrality” (LDN), which seeks to ensure that any ongoing land degradation is counterbalanced by restoration efforts, thereby maintaining or enhancing the condition of land resources.
Both Nature-Positive and LDN represent critical global objectives for halting environmental degradation and achieving ecological recovery by 2030, with the ultimate goal of fostering a harmonious coexistence with nature by 2050.
The agricultural sector remains a major contributor to biodiversity loss and land degradation, due to factors including freshwater consumption, nutrient runoff, pollution from chemical inputs (such as fertilizers and pesticides), and land-use changes such as deforestation.
Nonetheless, various initiatives have demonstrated that by leveraging ecosystem services and adopting approaches that actively augment ecosystems, agriculture can reduce its environmental footprint while helping to restore the healthy functioning of ecosystems and human communities.
Such approaches are aligned with the UNCCD’s call for the adoption of regenerative and agroecological practices that support soil health and contribute to the achievement of LDN.

This event will explore:

• the compatibility between agriculture and ecosystem conservation;
• the potential for resilient agricultural systems in the context of widening urban–rural divides in Africa; and
• the vision of agriculture as a means of revitalizing rural communities.

Key Questions

Key Discussion items of the Panel Discussion (Draft)

• In response to the biodiversity crisis, is it possible to change to a Nature positive society through “agriculture”?
• What kind of “resilient agriculture” is required in Africa
• What kind of “agriculture that energizes rural areas” is needed in Africa as the gap between urban and rural areas widens?

Objective

• Promote understanding of the relationship among ecosystem conservation, land degradation prevention and agriculture, and how food production can restore healthy functioning of ecosystems and people.
• Introduce the “Pilot activities on Ecosystem Augmentation Approach in Africa” jointly undertaken by SynecO/Sony CSL/JICA and invite participation to the activities.

Speakers