Iberdrola signs partnership with Birdlife International to protect biodiversity
Iberdrola Chairman Ignacio Galán has signed a three-year strategic alliance with Patricia Zurita, CEO of Birdlife International, to work together on renewable deployment that enhances the contribution to biodiversity.
The two organisations support a shared vision that a sustainable energy system based on renewable energy is fundamental to addressing the interrelated crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. If properly sited and managed, this renewable deployment can meet clean energy needs, be climate positive and, at the same time, contribute to healthy ecosystems. To this end, the partnership will unite Iberdrola and Birdlife International's efforts in advancing renewable solutions that deliver greater and long-term benefits for biodiversity, through the promotion and implementation of enabling policies, joint projects, research, science-based best practices and communications.
"Building links between different stakeholders is essential to urgently respond to major global challenges, such as the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss. And doing so with an institution as committed to nature conservation as BirdLife makes its reach even greater. At Iberdrola we have been contributing to these goals for decades and by 2030 we will achieve carbon neutrality for our electricity generation, and we will have a net positive impact on biodiversity," said Ignacio Galán.
BirdLife Executive Director Patricia Zurita said: "It is fantastic to work with Iberdrola to strengthen their strategies and implementation of renewable deployment that address both the climate crisis and its twin, the biodiversity crisis. To fight climate change we must also protect and restore nature. Business partners like Iberdrola are a key component of a multi-faceted approach involving conservationists, governments, finance and business".
Today's signing will help identify areas of strategic convergence and expand the existing collaboration between the two organisations through Birdlife International's many national members.
COMMITMENT TO PROTECTING THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
The multi-disciplinary network of experts from both organisations will work together to seek opportunities for projects, research, communicate new knowledge and promote best practice. They will collaborate on the following lines of action:
- Policy: supporting ambitious approaches to climate and biodiversity policy and setting the standard for industry to implement international best practice.
- Nature-positive energy: to drive industry progress in understanding and implementing nature-positive solutions as standard practice in renewable energy deployment.
- Nature-based solutions: establish an industry-leading position to address climate and biodiversity crises through the delivery of high integrity nature-based solutions with multiple socio-economic and biodiversity benefits.
- Knowledge exchange and communication, including dissemination of best practices, methodologies, new research and any other relevant information on positive actions for nature in the energy sector, encouraging their adoption by other actors.