Notable Media Coverage of the Global Safety Net
In
September 2020, a RESOLVE-led research team published in “A ‘Global Safety Net’ to reverse biodiversity
loss and stabilize the Earth’s climate in Science Advances. It is the first comprehensive
global-scale analysis of terrestrial areas showing how natural lands can be
protected and linked together to support a global recovery that benefits both
biodiversity and human welfare.
The
Global Safety Net builds upon multiple global-scale biodiversity and land cover
data sets to identify 35.3% of the Earth's land where enhanced
protection and restoration of the natural world will be significant to addressing
three converging crises—climate change, the loss of biodiversity, and the
emergence of novel viruses such as COVID-19. Importantly, it provides a “blueprint”
for each country and region to plan and implement strategies for top-priority
conservation sites. The Global Safety Net is also available online as an interactive map application (www.globalsafetynet.app).
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The project, called the Global Safety Net, maps out both areas that are already protected, such as national parks, and those that need to be protected to tackle simultaneous crises: climate change and the loss of biodiversity.
Fast Company
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Since its publication, the Global Safety Net has
received widespread media coverage and was featured in over 60 press articles
worldwide with an estimated reach of 250 million views. Notable news
outlets include The
Guardian, Thompson
Reuters, Mongabay,
Science
News, NPR, U.S.
News & World Report, CBS
Interactive, and Fast
Company. Dr. Eric Dinerstein, Director of RESOLVE’s Biodiversity and
Wildlife Solutions Program and lead author of the study, has been featured in numerous
interviews,
in which he highlights the significance and timeliness of the Global Safety Net.
The Global Safety Net was given an Honorable Mention in the AI & Data category as part of Fast Company's World Changing Ideas Awards 2021. In addition to English media, multiple international news outlets also published
articles about the Global Safety Net in Spanish,
German,
and Italian.
The Global Safety Net highlights the critical
role Indigenous Peoples play at stewarding over one-third of the world’s top
priority areas for nature conservation and climate stabilization. The
publication has been featured in articles by The
Guardian and New
York Times as the scientific backing for the calls
by many Indigenous communities for stronger commitments for biodiversity
conservation and to emphasize their role in decision-making.
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There is no question [that] Indigenous people have been much better stewards of nature than the rest of us,” says Eric Dinerstein, a conservation biologist at the Washington, D.C., sustainability nonprofit RESOLVE. “The single most important thing we can do is empower and finance Indigenous peoples to conserve their sovereign lands.
Science Magazine
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As a growing swell of scientific research highlights the integral role Indigenous communities play in environmental conservation, new technologies are emerging that will help to protect them and the regions they care for. One such innovation is the Global Safety Net, a “blueprint” to restore our biosphere, rebalance the global climate system and help prevent future pandemics.
The Guardian
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Dr. Carly Vynne, co-author and RESOLVE Strategic
Partner, also published an article in Nature
Portfolio that provides a behind-the-scenes
glimpse into the thought process, methods, and multi-disciplinary team effort behind
the development of the Global Safety Net.
Cover Image by Globaïa
Andy Lee and Sanjiv Fernando
RESOLVE
April 22, 2021; Updated April 23, 2021