Mapping Nature for People and Planet
The launch publication for UNDP's project, enabling governments to put nature at the heart of land use and development planning by mapping Essential Life Support Areas (ELSAs). 8 country optimizations are highlighted.
Paper link: UN Biodiversity Lab (2021)
Nations around the world are increasing their ambition for nature by making bold commitments to address the dual challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change. But with limited resources and many competing land uses, governments do not always know how and where to prioritize these commitments on the ground. Developed to address this need, the project ‘Mapping Nature for People and Planet’, led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), supports nations in using the latest advances in spatial data technology and science to create their own national ‘Map of Hope’.
Local stakeholders use national and global spatial data to identify essential life support areas. These are places where naturebased actions can sustain critical benefits to humanity, including food and water security, sustainable livelihoods, disaster risk reduction, and carbon sequestration. The result is a map that governments can use to harmonize nature and development policies and prioritize areas for protection, management, and restoration.
Eight countries are highlighted – Costa Rica, Uganda, Haiti, Kazakhstan, Cambodia, Dominican Republic, Peru, and Colombia.
Coordinating author: Jamison Ervin, UNDP