Jessica Smith

The Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB) were developed by the banking industry in
collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP
FI). In an era of increased expectations and scrutiny for banks to contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, Paris Agreement, and other norms and standards set by their customers, investors and society-at-large, the Principles define what it
means to be a “responsible bank.” There are more than… Mehr anzeigen

The Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB) were developed by the banking industry in
collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP
FI). In an era of increased expectations and scrutiny for banks to contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, Paris Agreement, and other norms and standards set by their customers, investors and society-at-large, the Principles define what it
means to be a “responsible bank.” There are more than 230 signatories with combined
assets of USD $60 trillion from around the world as at publication.
This guidance primer is a resource for implementation to support PRB Signatories in
preparing to set portfolio-level biodiversity targets. Version 1 is published (during June
2021), in anticipation of the finalisation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)’s
post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework later this year in Kunming, and in response to other related developments such as the convergence of ‘nature positive’ within definitions of ‘net zero’ ambition in the remaining months until the Glasgow UNFCCC COP. Weniger anzeigen

Biodiversity mainstreaming is a multi-layered and dynamic concept with many definitions that have
evolved over time, but the overall goal can be synthesised as better non-biodiversity-focused decision
making which serves to improve outcomes for biodiversity itself. This is the second of two reports
commissioned by the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) of the Global Environment
Facility (GEF) that seek to explore the current status of mainstreaming biodiversity into… Mehr anzeigen

Biodiversity mainstreaming is a multi-layered and dynamic concept with many definitions that have
evolved over time, but the overall goal can be synthesised as better non-biodiversity-focused decision
making which serves to improve outcomes for biodiversity itself. This is the second of two reports
commissioned by the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) of the Global Environment
Facility (GEF) that seek to explore the current status of mainstreaming biodiversity into production
sectors — in theory and in practice.
In recent years, theories of change (ToCs) have increasingly been recognised as valuable tools for
project design, adaptive management and evaluation of impacts. This report reviews a sample of GEF-funded biodiversity mainstreaming projects, with a view to answering the following questions: (1) What ToCs have been developed for biodiversity mainstreaming and what ToCs for key recognised pathways for mainstreaming have been developed? (2) Are there typologies for ordering and understanding the wide variety of entry points, pathways and approaches for biodiversity mainstreaming? (3) Are there positive examples of how co-benefits and trade-offs have been explicitly addressed, managed, accounted for or monitored, or emerging approaches or suggestions for doing this? (4) Are there indications regarding the success of particular causal pathways?
The report concludes that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to mainstreaming, and this context- and
problem-specificity means that there is also no singular theory of change that can be applied to
mainstreaming projects. However, the process of thinking through the ToC has helped some projects better articulate their mainstreaming goals, recognise where additional effort and intervention might be needed, and better understand the process by which mainstreaming occurs. Weniger anzeigen

Biodiversity mainstreaming is a multi-layered and dynamic concept with many definitions that have
evolved over time, but the overall goal can be synthesised as better non-biodiversity-focused decision
making which serves to improve outcomes for biodiversity itself. This is the first of two reports
commissioned by the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) of the Global Environment
Facility (GEF) that seek to explore the current status of mainstreaming biodiversity into… Mehr anzeigen

Biodiversity mainstreaming is a multi-layered and dynamic concept with many definitions that have
evolved over time, but the overall goal can be synthesised as better non-biodiversity-focused decision
making which serves to improve outcomes for biodiversity itself. This is the first of two reports
commissioned by the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) of the Global Environment
Facility (GEF) that seek to explore the current status of mainstreaming biodiversity into production
sectors — in theory and in practice.
The review reveals that while the literature on mainstreaming continues to evolve and improve, its
development is hampered by an inconsistent use of terminology and approaches, which prevents the
comparison of cases. In particular, while the GEF has developed a theory of change for its
mainstreaming portfolio, there was no evidence of other theories of change for biodiversity
mainstreaming in the literature. Second, although the literature suggests a number of typologies that
could be used to understand mainstreaming approaches, these are loosely defined and not used
consistently. Third, there is a rich literature on trade-offs around ecosystem services and poverty
alleviation, but little that specifically relates to mainstreaming. Finally, there is little literature on
mainstreaming indicators either at the generic level or by causal pathway/mainstreaming approach. Weniger anzeigen

The Evaluation of Global Environment Facility
(GEF) Support to Mainstreaming Biodiversity was undertaken to assess GEF contributions to
biodiversity mainstreaming and identify good practices and challenges in biodiversity mainstreaming
interventions.

I led the South Africa country case study which subsequently provided the framework for the study as a journey of mainstreaming:

■ Transformation, where conservation moves from protected areas to the wider landscape… Mehr anzeigen

The Evaluation of Global Environment Facility
(GEF) Support to Mainstreaming Biodiversity was undertaken to assess GEF contributions to
biodiversity mainstreaming and identify good practices and challenges in biodiversity mainstreaming
interventions.

I led the South Africa country case study which subsequently provided the framework for the study as a journey of mainstreaming:

■ Transformation, where conservation moves from protected areas to the wider landscape, reflecting changes in the perception of biodiversity conservation as it applies to society

■ Elevation, by which the conservation sector becomes more effective at working with economic sectors; and biodiversity is taken up by a broader range of sectors, institutions, and actors

■ Acceleration, as increased adoption of biodiversity considerations and changing institutional and sector models start to have an effect at the systemic level; this stage is critical to containing threats to biodiversity and has a measurable impact on biodiversity indicators at the landscape scale

■ Normalization, a posited subsequent stage where biodiversity becomes a recognized asset for the economy and is ingrained in the management of productive landscapes and seascapes, and in the various sectors Weniger anzeigen