GCBC (Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate)
RBG Kew as Strategic Science Lead for the GCBC (Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate)
The GCBC (Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate) was announced by the UK Government at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP26 in November 2021.
The UK has committed £40m of International Climate Finance (ICF) to establish the GCBC to address critical research gaps in how the conservation and sustainable and equitable use of biodiversity can deliver climate solutions and improve livelihoods for people. This contributes to the Government’s commitment to spend £3bn of ICF on nature over the 5 years between 2021/22 and 2025/26.
Led by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) the GCBC aims to establish a virtual global network of research institutions, experts and people to deliver robust research, evidence and data. The Centre aims to support Global South countries, and shape decision-making and policies, to better value, protect, restore and sustainably use biodiversity, towards tackling climate change and poverty challenges. Implementation of the aims of the GCBC will contribute towards achievement of climate change targets and also the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Global Biodiversity Framework targets, which are inherently intertwined with climate change.
As the Strategic Science Lead for GCBC, RBG Kew is developing a Research Strategy for the programme which entails identifying themes and priorities to inform the grant calls for research applications from 2023 to 2025, which will be managed on behalf of Defra by DAI International. RBG Kew is not involved in assessing grant applications or allocating project funding, but is gathering insights, data and learnings from funded projects to inform future research and policy.
- Drive integrated solutions across climate, biodiversity and people, tackling areas such as monitoring, efficacy, robustness, governance and finance
- Provide an opportunity for truly inter- and trans-disciplinary research, directly addressing barriers to change, and breaking down environmental and social research siloes
- Incorporate a strong Global South engagement including culturally diverse peoples', Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) and seek to identify good practice which can be scaled up and replicated elsewhere, as well as supporting new and innovative approaches with novel data and research outputs
Head
Elizabeth Warham
Project Manager
Samantha Morris
Interim Project Manager
Joanna Lane
Data Analyst
Bryony Wilcox
International Climate Finance is a UK government commitment to support developing countries to respond to the challenges and opportunities of climate change.