The Partnership for Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction (PEDRR) advocates for leveraging synergies between the three Rio Conventions – the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. This brief aims to inform national focal points for the Rio Conventions and the Sendai Framework and other relevant national and international actors about the role of ecosystem-based approaches and how they can connect these global agendas at the country level.

The authors offer four key recommendations:

• Leverage ecosystem-based approaches as entry points to align policy objectives and address multiple goals of the Rio Conventions and the Sendai Framework simultaneously and effectively.
• Promote and apply integrated spatial planning tools.
• Bring science on board to plan and implement multigoal-oriented, ecosystem-based approaches.
• Leverage diverse financing opportunities for achieving multiple goals simultaneously.

Mainstreaming ecosystem-based approaches in national and community-level planning instruments and policies can ensure sustainable development and poverty alleviation. At the same time, synchronizing and channelling countries’ efforts to contribute to the Conventions and the Sendai Framework through the implementation of multi-goal-oriented, ecosystem-based approaches has proven to reduce programme costs and increase effectiveness, write the authors.