Nature-Based Solutions for People, Planet and Prosperity

This policy brief, authored by a coalition of 22 non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations, argues that the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates the critical link between ecosystem health and human health. It provides a roadmap for policymakers to integrate nature-based solutions into pandemic response and economic recovery to prevent future zoonotic spillovers and achieve a nature-positive economy.

• The degradation and fragmentation of natural ecosystems increase the risk of novel zoonotic disease spillover by creating high-risk interface zones where humans, livestock, and wildlife interact. To prevent future pandemics, policymakers should halt the loss of natural forests and critical habitats, secure land tenure for Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs), and restore degraded lands to reduce human-wildlife contact zones.
• Current livestock production and trade systems increase zoonotic risks through intensive farming, unregulated small-scale husbandry, and the trade of live domestic animals. The document recommends reducing globalS global meat and dairy consumption and production, implementing stricter sanitary and traceability standards in supply chains, and mitigating risks in confined spaces like slaughterhouses and markets.
• Commercial wildlife trade and live animal markets are significant risk factors for the initial spillover of zoonotic diseases and their subsequent spread into pandemics. The authors call for the end or stringent regulation of the hunting, butchering, and marketing of wild animals for human consumption, while ensuring that sustainable traditional hunting practices of IPLCs are respected and not penalized.
• The COVID-19 pandemic threatens to undo biodiversity gains by impeding billions of dollars in conservation investments due to lockdowns and economic instability. Specifically, the collapse of nature-based tourism—with a forecast contraction of up to 25% in 2020—removes economic incentives for conservation, necessitating emergency government support for rangers, landowners, and vulnerable communities.
• Economic recovery from COVID-19 should be 'nature-positive' to generate new business opportunities and jobs. The document suggests that industry actions with positive impacts on nature could create 395 million new jobs by 2030 and $10.1 trillion in opportunities. Recommended measures include attaching green conditionalities to corporate bailouts and repurposing harmful agricultural and fisheries subsidies.

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} }