Can the quest to save nature find its guiding star?

Egret on a mangrove root, Kenya. Photo by UNEP/ Stephanie Foote - There have been times over the past two weeks - as conservationists, scientists, businesses, indigenous people and governments gathered in Montreal, Canada, for the COP15 summit - that all hope of a new global agreement to protect and restore nature seemed lost. With the final negotiations now complete, an agreement has been reached. But the real question, according to Harriet Bulkeley , professor in Environmental Governance and Sustainable Transitions, is whether we are prepared for a transformative change to create new socio-natures that are both significant in their own right and generative of sustainable development. The long-awaited meeting, delayed several times during the pandemic, is intended to forge a new set of commitments from national governments to both set aside areas of land and sea for conservation and restoration as well as to ensure that nature was mainstreamed in decisions by all levels of government and across society - from local planning to boardroom decisions, pension investments through to subsidies for pesticides. Above all, those gathered in Montreal hoped for a 'guiding star' - with many backing #NaturePositive as a clarion call, a uniting ambition to mobilise action and set the direction of travel for both governments and societal actors alike, much as the target of keeping the world below '1.5 degrees' has done for climate change. Just over two weeks ago, when the final rounds of negotiation started in Montreal, it was clear there was still much work to be done.