UNEP-WCMC continues to serve as a global centre of excellence on biodiversity and nature’s contribution to society and the economy. As we move into the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework gaveled last December at COP15, the Centre is poised to provide critical capacity to UNEP, various biodiversity-related Conventions, and other partners to support Member States in delivering on their commitments for people and nature.”

Inger Andersen

Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and
Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme

Preface

The most ambitious global plan ever adopted for nature was agreed in 2022.

Neville Ash
Director
UNEP-WCMC

We played a critical role in the agreement of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and package of decisions through our convening of negotiators, provision of technical input and guidance of the UN at the highest levels. The end result is a framework for action that provides unquestionable clarity on what needs to be done to save life on Earth and ensure that all of humanity thrives.

Now the focus must be on urgent implementation. We have not wasted a second in turning our attention to working with governments, businesses and financial institutions to ensure that these commitments are rapidly delivered. Tough systemic changes to society and the economy need to be made. Our deep knowledge of the Framework means we are extremely well placed to catalyze the necessary transformations. As we enter this period of action, we are collaborating ever more closely with our partners. Our ability to continue this essential work depends greatly upon the ongoing support of our funders to whom we are deeply grateful. Working together, we will invest in innovation and scale up delivery to help the world develop the knowledge, capacity and courage it needs to get this vitally important job done.

Beyond our dedication to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, our teams have helped drive wider change around the world. We provided China with projections on how the policies implemented by its government and the choices made by its people will affect the country’s biodiversity and the welfare of everyone living there. We helped Ethiopia and Cameroon publish national ecosystem assessments that will make it easier for these nations to integrate the full value of biodiversity into their policies. We supported the creation of Wildlife Tradeview, a tool that, for the first time, allows the global visualization of all legal, international trade in CITES-listed wildlife and wildlife products. Through collaboration with partners, we launched the Mapeo app that helps Indigenous Peoples and local communities submit information about the state of their lands to a central database where their role as custodians of these important places can be better recognized by decisionmakers worldwide. We created a mechanism by which financial institutions can align their behaviour with the targets of the Framework using ENCORE, a tool that makes it easier to understand interactions taking place between the economy and nature.

In this report we explore these achievements from 2022 and many more. We hope you are inspired by what you read.

The strong relationship between UNEP and WCMC underpins everything we do. We are immensely proud of our collaboration which provides us with a unique ability to deliver impact across the world.”

Robin Bidwell

WCMC Chair of Trustees

A focus on Impact

Our Strategy provides direction and purpose to the work we do and explains the impact we seek to achieve with our partners. Its implementation is underpinned by an impact monitoring framework that collects results against more than 70 indicators and captures stories of change. This allows us to track and report progress towards our goals. It also enables us to understand and communicate our contribution to the UNEP Medium Term Strategy, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

The need for transformative and systemic change to address the nature and climate crises sits at the core of our Strategy and our culture. We acknowledge that, in some cases, the impacts from our work may sometimes take many years to be realized. The work featured in this report includes examples of shorter-term outcomes alongside narratives illustrating how our activities are contributing towards longer-term impacts. 

  • We deliver impact in four areas:

    • Nature Conserved

      Resilient, connected ecosystems and their species are conserved, sustaining all life on Earth.

    • Nature Restored

      Degraded lands, inland waters and the ocean are restored for the benefit of people and nature.

    • Nature Based Solutions

      Public and private sectors make effective use of nature to address sustainable development challenges.

    • Nature Economy

      The world transitions to a nature-positive global economy.

  • Our impact is underpinned by our work across three innovation areas:

    • Science

      Everything we do is underpinned by robust science.

    • Policy

      We champion evidence-informed policies on nature and people across all scales.

    • Digital Transformation

      We work towards a digital transformation in the use of biodiversity data and knowledge.

Summary Indicators

  • Summary Indicator

    238 Action-Oriented Publications

  • Summary Indicator

    23 Tools & Platforms Made Available or Significantly Improved

  • Summary Indicator

    55 Entities working towards policy change supported

  • Summary Indicator

    6 Policies enacted in 2022 that we directly supported

Our Impact

  • 44

    Platforms providing biodiversity data for decision-making accessed

  • 195

    Partners and Funders

  • 194

    Countries and Territories

  • 4,479

    Stakeholders directly reached through our workshops and events

Our Reach

We can only achieve the scale and pace of change necessary to meet our ambitious goals by working in partnership with others. In 2022, we worked with UN partner agencies, governments, the private sector, the wider scientific community and civil society globally to increase action for nature and people.

UNEP-WCMC Managed Website Users - 2022

Managed Websites Page Views 2022

Delivery of our Strategy depends upon working collaboratively within our organization and beyond. Our four impact areas and three innovation areas drive collective action towards the 2050 vision of ‘living in harmony with nature’. This culture can be seen in all our work, including in the cross-organizational approach we took to supporting adoption of the Kunming-Montreal package of decisions, and our engagement with partners worldwide.”

Jonny Hughes

WCMC Chief Executive Officer and
Senior Representative UNEP-WCMC

Filters

Select Impact or Innovation Area

  • Nature Conserved

  • Nature Restored

  • Nature Based Solutions

  • Nature Economy

  • Science

  • Policy

  • Digital Transformation

A message to our funders & partners

We are sincerely grateful for your ongoing support and partnership. It is only with your commitment to our shared vision of a world living in harmony with nature that we are able to deliver our mission and achieve the impact outlined in this report. We count on your partnership as we look to scale up our future impact.

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