Nature at the Heart of Climate Action: Our Vision for COP30 

Birds are our compass: they reveal the health of the world we share. Their movements trace the shifting patterns of climate and land use, illustrating how forests, wetlands, and the ocean are interconnected and how changes in one area ripple through the rest. COP30 is our chance to unite voices across borders, linking local knowledge with global ambition so that birds, people, and all life can thrive. 

At COP30, BirdLife International will be working to bring together the climate, biodiversity, and desertification crises to help deliver a thriving planet for both nature and people. By championing nature-based solutions and a nature-safe renewable energy transition, BirdLife advocates for climate action that works with nature to deliver lasting change. 
 
Our delegation of around 30 colleagues and Partners from across the world will urge governments to deliver in the negotiations and showcase how innovative conservation can lay the blueprint for real-world impact. This vision is already being demonstrated with the case studies that follow. 

Americas Flyways Initiative 

Across the Americas, migratory birds trace invisible highways that connect forests, wetlands, coasts, mangroves, grasslands, and people. The Americas Flyways Initiative (AFI) unites NGOs, governments, financial institutions, and communities to integrate and scale up nature-based solutions and bird-friendly infrastructure, safeguarding these vital corridors. 

By combining science, policy, local action, sustainable development, and innovative financing, AFI is transforming how countries cooperate to restore ecosystems that store carbon, protect biodiversity, and sustain livelihoods. Significantly, AFI is but one example from BirdLife’s Global Flyways Programme. Just last month, we agreed a historic partnership with The World Bank for scaling up our work across the African-Eurasian Flyway. This landmark agreement builds on the success of programs like AFI and the Regional Flyway Initiative (RFI).

Across the world, our work demonstrates that climate and biodiversity resilience is achieved through building and sustaining connections across social and ecological systems. As BirdLife calls on COP30 to act decisively for climate and nature, our Global Flyways programme shows what global ambition looks like when grounded in local knowledge. 

AFI is led by the National Audubon Society, BirdLife International, and CAF –  Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean.  

“Through the AFI, we are proving that large-scale investments that protect biodiversity are possible and essential for having a real long-term sustainable development.  It’s a win-win, by protecting birds, we ensure better conditions for other species—including ourselves.’’ – Santiago Aparicio, Americas Flyways Initiative Director, National Audubon Society.

Alianza del Pastizal (Grasslands Alliance) 

In the Southern Cone, the Alianza del Pastizal is redefining the relationship between production and conservation. Across the pampas of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, ranchers, scientists, and conservationists are demonstrating that cattle grazing, often blamed for emissions, can actually become a climate solution when managed in harmony with native grasslands. 

These ecosystems are powerful carbon sinks and home to unique birds, yet they depend on responsible grazing to thrive. In the Southern Cone, about 50-75% of the original grasslands have been lost. What remains is under the ranchers’ custody. Without them, those crucial landscapes will be lost forever due to the expansion of soybeans and forestry.  

By aligning sustainable economic livelihoods with ecological restoration and conservation measures, the Alliance demonstrates the progress that can be achieved when the climate, nature, and land agendas are integrated. Here, sustainability is not theory but daily practice, a living testament that feeding people and healing the planet can be two sides of the same story. 

“When we care for the grasslands, we care for the people who live from them — and for the climate that depends on them. Ranchers are not part of the problem; they are key to the solution.” – Natalie Dudinszky, Biodiversity Conservation Manager (Grasslands), BirdLife International.

Alianza del Pastizal is an initiative led by BirdLife International, in collaboration with Aves Argentinas, Aves Uruguay, Guyra Paraguay, and SAVE Brasil, with the support of the Bobolink Foundation, the USFS, and UFSWS. 

Conserva Aves 

The Conserva Aves initiative is transforming climate ambition into local empowerment. Across Latin America and the Caribbean, it channels conservation finance directly to communities, Indigenous Peoples, and local organizations that are shaping the future of biodiversity protection.  

Through open calls for proposals and direct grant investments, it supports projects that expand or create unprotected Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs), strengthen governance and foster sustainable livelihoods, ensuring that those who live closest to nature lead its defence and preservation. Conserva Aves embodies what equitable climate action looks like: locally driven, regionally coordinated, and globally significant.  

“Conserva Aves is more than a funding mechanism — it’s a movement for shared stewardship. When communities lead, conservation endures, and climate action becomes real.” – Alfonso Hernández, Senior Conservation Manager, Conserva Aves Initiative, BirdLife International.

Conserva Aves is led by American Bird Conservancy, National Audubon Society, BirdLife International, Birds Canada, and RedLAC with the support of The Bezos Earth Fund and Global Affairs Canada.  

Key Biodiversity Areas of Ecuador 

In Ecuador, the project “Ecosystem Services in Key Biodiversity Areas for Climate Change” is helping communities in El Oro, Podocarpus–El Cóndor, and the Chocó regions understand how nature supports their daily lives. 

Led by BirdLife International, UNEP-WCMC, the University of Durham, and our Partner in Ecuador, Fundación Jocotoco, the initiative utilizes participatory tools to assess ecosystem services, including water provision, carbon storage, and forest products. Together, partners are identifying practical nature-based solutions, such as reforestation and watershed restoration, that protect biodiversity while improving local well-being. 

The project is also informing sustainable financing approaches that provide economic incentives to protect Key Biodiversity Areas. As BirdLife calls on governments to put nature at the heart of climate action, this project showcases how doing so will enhance our efforts to adapt to and mitigate climate change. 

“Our project in Ecuador champions data-driven decisions as the cornerstone of effective climate action. By modeling future ecosystem service flows and combining them with local knowledge, we can precisely target interventions like reforestation and watershed restoration, ensuring climate resilience is built where it matters most.” – Stefano Barchiesi, Senior Ecosystem Services Officer, BirdLife International.

At COP30, we have the opportunity to choose a better future, one where climate action works in harmony with nature, not against it. We call on all countries to put nature at the heart of their climate plans, collaborate with multilateral bodies, and lead a nature-safe energy transition. 

By aligning global ambition with local action, uniting the climate, biodiversity, and land agendas, and investing in solutions that let nature thrive, we can secure a nature-positive, 1.5°C world for birds, for people, and for generations to come.