ID: 1927
Presenting Author: Hugo Costa
Session: 682 - From Theory to Practice: Nature Positive Landscapes in the Mining Sector
Status: pending
Discover how the COMBO+ program aligns development with biodiversity conservation through policy reform, data, capacity building, and pilot projects - laying the foundation for a Nature Positive futur
The COMBO+ program aims to align economic development with biodiversity conservation through regulated policies that promote No Net Loss, Net Gain, and Nature Positive outcomes. By doing so, it contributes to national targets while channeling innovative financing into biodiversity. From 2016 to 2025, the program has been implemented in six African and Asian countries, achieving significant results, including:
i) the introduction and enhancement of legislation on No Net Loss and Net Gain through the effective application of the mitigation hierarchy and the establishment of strong governance systems;
ii) the generation of biodiversity data, maps, tools, and user guidance—developed through multi-stakeholder processes—to support policy implementation, planning, and land-use decision-making;
iii) extensive capacity building, with over 70 training sessions reaching more than 2,200 participants from government, private sector, and civil society, improving technical skills and awareness; and
iv) the development and testing of practical mechanisms for restoration, conservation, and biodiversity offsets through pilot projects in Protected Areas, Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs), and corporate case studies.
This session will showcase the results achieved and demonstrate how this system provides a foundation for a Nature Positive approach at the national level, using Mozambique as an example.
Director of Business & Biodiversity Impact at WCS, is a conservation policy leader with 20+ years of experience, who pioneered Mozambique’s biodiversity offset mechanism and led its first KBA and RLE
Coauthor 1: Amrei von Hase