Nature-Based Solutions for People, Planet and Prosperity

The policy brief argues that the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates the critical link between ecosystem health and human health, asserting that ecological degradation and wildlife trade are root causes of zoonotic spillover. It proposes a five-part framework for policymakers: halting ecosystem loss, reforming livestock production, regulating commercial wildlife trade, safeguarding existing conservation investments, and implementing cross-cutting 'nature-positive' economic recovery strategies. The authors emphasize that protecting nature is a cost-effective tool for both public health and financial recovery, potentially creating millions of jobs by 2030.

• Human-driven ecosystem degradation and fragmentation increase the risk of novel zoonotic disease spillover by creating high-risk interface zones and increasing contact between humans, livestock, and wildlife.
• The expansion of livestock production, particularly in areas bordering wildlife habitats, facilitates the spillover of pathogens from wildlife to livestock, which then act as intermediate hosts for human transmission.
• Commercial wildlife trade and live animal markets are significant risk factors for the initial spillover of zoonotic diseases and their subsequent escalation into pandemics.
• The COVID-19 pandemic threatens to reverse biodiversity gains by impeding the implementation of billions of dollars in conservation investments and collapsing nature-based tourism, which provides economic incentives for conservation.
• Transitioning to a 'nature-positive economy' could generate approximately $10.1 trillion in new business opportunities and 395 million new jobs by 2030.
• Current global agricultural and fisheries subsidies are largely harmful to natural capital; only 15% of the $700 billion annual agricultural subsidies support public goods.

APA

World Resources Institute (2020). Nature-Based Solutions for People, Planet and Prosperity. https://files.wri.org/s3fs-public/covid-19-response-and-recovery-joint-policy-recs-nov-9-en.pdf

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Nature-Based Solutions for People, Planet and Prosperity. 2020. https://files.wri.org/s3fs-public/covid-19-response-and-recovery-joint-policy-recs-nov-9-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Nature-Based Solutions for People, Planet and Prosperity |date=November 2020 |url=https://files.wri.org/s3fs-public/covid-19-response-and-recovery-joint-policy-recs-nov-9-en.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2020naturebased, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Nature-Based Solutions for People, Planet and Prosperity}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2020}, month = nov, url = {https://files.wri.org/s3fs-public/covid-19-response-and-recovery-joint-policy-recs-nov-9-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }