From Biodiversity Loss to Climate Gains: insights into IKI interface workshops’ panel discussion

On March 5th, 2025, the IKI interface workshop “Ukraine’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) 2035: Investments in a Sustainable, Climate-Balanced, and Biodiverse Future” brought together representatives of the governments of Ukraine and Germany, experts, and IKI partners to discuss Ukraine’s climate policy, green recovery, and biodiversity conservation.  

The key topics discussed at the event were:   

• NDC update for Ukraine 

• Strengthening the enabling environment to drive sector-wide transformation  

• Decentralized renewable energy solutions in Ukraine for energy resilience 

• Biodiversity as a driver of climate adaptation and mitigation 

• Strategies for effective private sector engagement in Ukraine’s green recovery 

Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and preservation of ecosystems where the key topic of panel discussion “From Biodiversity Loss to Climate Gains: How Ukraine’s Biodiversity Conservation Can Drive Climate Adaptation and Mitigation”. Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine V. Kireeva, Member of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Y. Ovchynnikova, and representative of the Frankfurt Zoological Society Mr. Brombacher opened the panel with their introductory speeches. 

 The biodiversity in Ukraine is unique and is attributable to the country’s varied geography. The landscapes range from the Carpathian Mountains, (primeval) forests, (forest) steppes, pastures, (salt) meadows, and marshlands to the coasts of the Black Sea. The country, which only amounts to six percent of Europe’s surface area, harbours 35 percent of the continent’s biodiversity.  

 “For a fragile nation like Ukraine, resilience is more important than effectiveness in reducing emissions, and the Nature Based Solutions is the most effective and efficient way to build it”, – highlighted Andriy Demydenko, climate change adaptation advisor at C4CA/Ukrainian Climate Office during his speech. 

 Another focus of this workshop was addressing the critical importance of biodiversity conservation within Ukraine’s climate strategy and how preserving biodiversity can support climate resilience and sustainable development goals.  

The climate crisis in Ukraine has become a part of daily life. It is accompanied by the biodiversity crisis. And even is aggravated by the consequences of war. This is a huge challenge not only for Ukraine but for Europe as well. Forests, wetlands, oceans, and even soils absorb carbon dioxide and help fight against climate change.  

 During the expert discussion, the impact of climate change on the state of ecosystems, population dynamics and the number of animals and plants, changes in the life cycles of living organisms were discussed. The importance of biodiversity for mitigating the effects of climate change was emphasized, and the need to maintain and restore the ability of ecosystems, such as peatlands, forests, marine habitats, etc. to regulate the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere was emphasized. Many international environmental treaties, primarily the Convention on Biological Diversity, are focused on the role of biodiversity in addressing climate change.  

 “One of the meetings of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity held in Nagoya, Japan, had a slogan “Biodiversity is our life” and this truly reflects an importance of biodiversity for humans”, said Volodymyr Domashlinets, GIZ biodiversity expert in IKI Interface Project “GreenUkraine”. 

Ukraine’s biodiversity plays a crucial role in maintaining the balance of the environment and providing relevant ecosystem services to the population. The IKI Interface GreenUkraine project, implemented by GIZ, aims to facilitate the creation of a biodiversity monitoring system in Ukraine, restore war-damaged ecosystems, including marine ones, and address other issues. 

*The annual interface workshop is designed to promote dialogue between the IKI projects in Ukraine and to facilitate exchange on current issues in the fields of climate action and biodiversity. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) is implementing the project “IKI Interface: Supporting Ukraine towards Ambitious and Integrated Climate Policy (Green Ukraine)” within the framework of the Ukrainian-German climate cooperation on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and in cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources (MEPR).  

Ukrainian Climate Office operates under the Capacities for Climate Action Project, which is implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) under the International Climate Initiative (IKI) and co-financed by European Union.