2025 World Coastal Forum: Experts Call for Green Energy Transition That Protects Biodiversity
The 2025 World Coastal Forum in China gathered experts and policymakers to discuss renewable energy development and its impact on coastal and marine biodiversity. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Eco-Foundation Global, and BirdLife International hosted a session focused on aligning renewable energy with biodiversity conservation and spatial planning.
Stewart Maginnis, IUCN Deputy Director General, opened the session by emphasizing the importance of a 'green and just' energy transition that benefits both people and nature. Rachel Asante-Owusu, IUCN's Global Lead on Energy Transition, echoed this, stressing the need for integrated approaches to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss.
The session saw practical tools and recommendations shared by various organizations. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, BirdLife International, and Shan Shui Conservation Center offered insights. Three renewable energy companies - LONGi Green Energy, Goldwind Technology, and Envision Energy - shared their experiences integrating biodiversity and conservation into project design and implementation. Asante-Owusu presented guidance on cumulative impact assessment (CIA) and biodiversity enhancement in renewable projects. Panel discussions explored best practices in marine spatial planning, stakeholder engagement, and CIA for accelerating nature-positive renewable deployment. The forum concluded with a call to strengthen partnerships and innovation in marine spatial planning and biodiversity monitoring.
The 2025 World Coastal Forum underscored the need for renewable energy infrastructure to be planned alongside ecosystem protection. Maginnis stressed that limiting global warming is impossible without healthy ecosystems. The forum provided a platform for sharing practical tools and best practices, fostering partnerships, and driving innovation in marine spatial planning and biodiversity monitoring.
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