The Sustainable Development Goals Policy Briefshighlight a hotspot of environmental concern. The evidence provided builds on the scientific data and information hosted on the online platform Environment Live, and is complemented by stories from around the world. Readers are invited to explore the numerous clickable links throughout the Brief.Biodiversity loss is caused by a range of different pressures, from habitat loss due to agricultural expansion, pollution or desertification to invasive alien species and climate change. At the root of every issueis one common thread: the unsustainable use of landand resources.

Impacts of biodiversity loss are being felt across all Earth’s major biomes and the cost of inaction is escalating, demanding increased investment in conservation and sustainable use on a global scale.

Initiatives on the ground
European ban on harmful pesticides. Bees and other insects pay a vital role in global food production and over 75% of main food crops rely to some extent on animal pollination. In recent years, pollinator populations have plummeted, and a growing body of scientific evidence has linked this decline to the widespread use of pesticides. In April 2018 the European Commission placed a total ban on the outdoor use of three substances known as neonicotinoids, limiting their use to greenhouses where contact with bees is not expected. This ban on demonstrably harmful substances shows an example of regulatory action by policy-makers.

Indigenous Community Conservation Areas in the PhilippinesThis cost-effective approach to managing key biodiversity and other high conservation and cultural value areas in the Philippines recognizes that indigenous communities have the right to manage their ancestral domains through traditional resources and management practices, as well as define the development and conservation priorities of these ancestral domains. As of 2012, 12% of a total area of about 4.3 million hectares was designated as Approved Ancestral Domain in the Philippines. The approach is recognized to be empowering indigenous communities and fostering conservation, leading to progress towards Aichi Biodiversity Targets 11 (protected areas) and 18 (traditional knowledge)

Forest Restoration Mechanism in Guatemala. Between 1991-2001, Guatemala experienced a forest loss equivalent to 73 hectares per year, which corresponds to a deforestation rate of 1.43% per annum. Disturbances to the forest area have generated a permanent disruption in many ecosystems, which has resulted in a reduction by half of the forest cover over half a century, now only 34% of the national territory. In 2014, the Roundtable on Forest Restoration formulated a National Strategy for Forest Landscape Restoration as a mechanism for rural development. It is dependent upon the engagement and commitment of thousands of landowners and communities. Guatemala now has one of the most innovative incentives programmes in the world to support rehabilitation, recovery, reforestation, and restoration of degraded lands, promoting sustainable forest management and safeguarding biodiversity at country scale

Advanced habitat mapping in the United Arab Emirates. The Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD) completed map-ping of terrestrial and marine habitats, land use and land cover for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The project covered the entire Emirate – 59,640 square kilometers of terrestrial and 28,220 square kilometers of marine environments. This is possibly the largest and most detailed delineation of habitats in the world to date. The advanced image processing techniques together with validation through field surveys have resulted in data accuracy, exceeding 90% on the land and 75% in marine areas. This powerful data set will allow environmental decision-making to be much more objective and quantitative. Protected area delineation, environmental permitting, land-use and conservation planning, quantifying ecosystem services, estimating blue carbon, and detecting land degradation and habitat loss, are just some of the areas where the mapping is being utilized
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