Equator Prize 2024: Nature for Climate Action

This year’s Equator Prize will recognize innovative initiatives that showcase how action on nature, led by Indigenous Peoples and local communities, can provide effective climate solutions, and demonstrate effective pathways to transform our global systems for people and Planet.

Winning initiatives will be honored for their successes in protecting, restoring, and/or sustainably managing nature for nature-positive development outcomes.

Thematic priorities include:

Nature for Climate Mitigation. Actions to protect, conserve and restore forests, mangroves, peatlands, soils, oceans, and marine ecosystems. This includes actions to:

• Maintain intact ecosystems as they sequester better – forests, mangroves, peatlands and soils are the greatest natural carbon stores
• Uphold Indigenous Peoples’ land tenure, governance, rights and traditional knowledge as they are essential to protect forests and key ecosystems
• Protect and restore ecosystems as an urgent priority
• Achieve forests’ protection through participatory monitoring and mapping at large scale

Nature for Climate Adaptation and Resilience. Actions to integrate nature into planning for water security, food security, disaster risk reduction, enhanced livelihoods and community resilience. Building climate resilient food systems, and developing regenerative agriculture and forestry practices to adapt to climate change.

Nature for a Just Transition. Actions to green the economy in a way that is as fair and inclusive as possible to all society, including Indigenous Peoples and local communities, creating decent work opportunities and leaving no one behind. Showing how solutions led at the local-level can contribute to a global value shift, including an economic and finance shift. Harnessing circular economy and reusing materials to reduce the need for resource extraction and minimize pressure on wildlife and threats to biodiversity. Shaping a nature-positive future by rethinking business as usual as an opportunity to sustainably manage and regenerate nature and catalyze zero-carbon economies. This includes actions to:

Special consideration will be given to nominees championing youth and women-led climate action.

Local nature-based solutions for sustainable development

The Equator Prize 2024 nomination process offers community-based initiatives the opportunity to share their work on the Equator Initiative’s web portal of local nature-based solutions for sustainable development.

The platform connects communities around the world and shares local solutions that work for people and the planet.

Participation in this platform is optional when submitting nominations for the Equator Prize.