Green Development Initiative

It is becoming more and more obvious that humans are at a crossroads regarding the environment. We have two choices: either we have to fundamentally change the manner of managing the land and the use of resources, or we have to continue to view the environment from an anthropocentric perspective. There have been many international conservation initiatives in recent years that have been suggested as potential tools for preserving biodiversity. One such initiative is the Green Development Initiative, which is credible due to its striking and unique design as well as its dual goals of promoting human and environmental well-being.

What is Green Development Initiative?

The Green Development Initiative (GDI), which has been in development since 2008, is an innovative approach for allocating millions of dollars in funding to biodiversity conservation through the trading of biodiversity in the free market. The GDI would connect biodiversity supply and demand by developing a trading market and an accreditation process.

Evolution of the Green Development Initiative (GDI)

The international community realized that the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) were not being met, owing in large part to a lack of funding for biodiversity conservation. This realization resulted in the establishment of the Green Development Initiative (GDI). The Parties were urged to "improve actions and cooperation for enhancing the business community's engagement...in the implementation of the three objectives of the Convention" at the 9th Conference of the Parties (COP9) of the CBD. They were also asked to conduct "studies on approaches to developing markets and payment schemes for ecosystem services at the local, national, and international levels." The COP9 specifically requested that the Parties "come forward with new and innovative financing mechanisms in support of the strategy for resource mobilization."

Phase I: The GDM 2010 Initiative

The GDM 2010 Initiative was launched in 2009 in order to advance the discussion on a new financing mechanism for biodiversity at the 10th Conference of the Parties (COP 10) to the Convention on Biological Diversity. The conference took place in Nagoya, Japan, in October 2010. The initiative was to determine whether it was viable to develop a system that would be voluntary, transparent, and accountable in order to boost private sector funding for biodiversity.

Phase II: The Green Development Initiative

Following the discussions leading up to BD COP10 in October 2010, a new phase of the development and testing of promising modalities for a green development mechanism was initiated. The goal of the Green Development Initiative (GDI) is to develop a biodiversity standard and certification program for land management that will make it simpler to obtain funding for development and conservation projects at the local level.

The GDI is not meant to be a compliance tool to lessen environmental impacts, but rather a verification tool to recognize good environmental performance. It aims to enable companies and other organizations to manage their own lands more effectively by meeting relevant biodiversity performance indicators. It also aims to assist others in their initiatives to implement biodiversity management plans for their lands.

Following a number of international expert workshops, roundtables, seminars, and meetings, the GDI emerged as a potential response to this appeal.

Biodiversity objectives and components of the Green Development Initiative

The GDI has established a standard for the management of geographically bounded areas based on the objectives of the CBD. There are four biodiversity objectives and four biodiversity components in this standard.

GDI’s Biodiversity Objectives

The biodiversity objectives are as follows −

• Conservation − It refers to the preservation of habitats and species in their natural habitats.

• Sustainability − It requires that the use of the land and its resources not diminish their long-term vitality and diversity or restrict the ability of subsequent generations to utilize the resources.

• Equity − It ensures that the benefits of utilizing the environment are fairly distributed among the local population.

• Development − It ensures that the GDI enhances the general well-being of the participants' communities and populations. This is important, especially in developing countries where people are less likely to focus on environmental issues if their basic needs are not being met.

GDI’s Biodiversity Components

The four biodiversity components of the GDI, which represent the various components of biodiversity that must be preserved, are as follows −

• Ecological complex − An ecological complex is a geographically confined area that is governed by a management plan that has received GDI certification. It can be compared to a landscape or a seascape.

• Ecosystem − It refers to the intricate network of microbes, plants, animals, and the inorganic environment that work together as a whole.

• Species − It refers to a group of similar life forms that are able to reproduce and give birth to viable offspring.

• Biological resources − According to the GDI, biological resources are genetic resources that are being used or have the potential to be used by humans.

In order to create a "management matrix," these four objectives and four components have been combined.

GDI management matrix	Ecological complexes	Ecosystems	Species	Biological resources
Conservation	-	-	-	-
Sustainability	-	-	-	-
Equity	-	-	-	-
Development	-	-	-	-

Conclusion

The Green Development Initiative (GDI) is an innovative financial instrument for developing a global market for the trade of biodiversity. It is important to note that the GDI is intended more as a mechanism for recognizing good environmental performance than as a compliance mechanism to reduce environmental impacts. By meeting pertinent biodiversity performance indicators, it aims to enable businesses and other organizations to responsibly manage their own lands. It also aims to support other people's efforts to put biodiversity management plans for their lands into action.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is GDI?

Ans. The Green Development Initiative (GDI) is an inventive financial mechanism to conserve biodiversity by establishing a global market for its trade and aiming to establish a certification process and biodiversity standard for land management.

Q2. What is the main objective of GDI?

Ans. The goal of the Green Development Initiative (GDI) is to develop a biodiversity standard and certification program for land management that will make it simpler to obtain funding for development and conservation projects at the local level.

Q3. What are the biodiversity components of GDI?

Ans. The four biodiversity components of the GDI, which represent the various components of biodiversity that must be preserved, are ecological complexity, ecosystem, species, and biological resources.

Q4. What are the biodiversity objectives of GDI?

Ans. The biodiversity objectives of the GDI are conservation, sustainability, equity, and development.