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Carolyn Hall’s overview of the COP16 Panel Presentations

The experience at COP 16 Riyadh became richer as following our case study presentation on the Economics of Drought Report, I was asked to be part of a further four panels discussing landscape rehydration and restoration and the work we are doing to assist Australian Farmers and First Nations to hold water in the landscape and heal Country.   

Thank you to Nina Bisom then Leader of the ELD Initiative and Mark Schauer Senior Advisor to the ELD Initiative for inviting me to join the IUCN panel Mobilising Nature Based Solutions Private and Public Financing to Save our Lands. Thank you also to Charles KARANGWA, MBA IUCN Global Head of Nature Based Solutions for inviting me onto the panel. 

I also participated in the panel Building Resilient Agri Food Systems for a Changing Climate in the MENA region Global Green Growth Institute Islamic Organization for Food Security thank you Nina Bisom and ELD – Economics of Land Degradation Initiative for including Mulloon Institute and stories from Australia in this important panel.  
 
Amazing to hear from MAHAMADOU TOUNKARA and Elsayed Mohamed Elazazi  
and, in particular, from His Excellency Mohammad J Alsaati the innovative blended finance being delivered by the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) that is delivering real benefits through knowledge sharing, capacity building and delivering resilience on the ground through partnerships and collaboration.  
 
It was also a pleasure to be part of The Nature Conservancy’s panel on the Essential Rolee of Nature in Drought Resilience.  The delegates were eager to hear and see stories from Australia where our landscape rehydration and restoration work has used nature based solutions to deliver across Biodiversity, Climate Change and Desertification outcomes.   

Finally what a pleasure to be part of Willem Ferwarda’s Commonland panel where he launched the 4 returns framework guidebook. Through both stories and practical resources, the guidebook aims to provide landscape practitioners with knowledge, tools and methods needed to achieve land degradation neutrality globally and meet the goals of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. The guidebook is the result of a collaborative effort led by Commonland, in partnership with Landscape Finance Lab and Wetlands International, and based on 12 years of lessons learned from our landscape colleagues in several countries including Wij.land, AlVelAl, Living Lands, Wide Open Agriculture, Dirty Clean Food, Grounded, Noongar Land Enterprise Group and others. 

It was also a special time to meet up with Regen WA’s Bonnie Jupp while at COP16 in Riyadh. Bonnie spoke at two events representing RegenWA Perth NRM and WA Landcare Network Inc
Advancements in Soil Health and Land Restoration Monitoring, where she was asked specifically about Natural Capital Accounting and how it can be used to scale up improving soil health. Leigh Winowiecki facilitated a rich discussion.

IUCN Regen10 Common Ground film screening, farmers and indigenous peoples panel discussions. Here Bonnie had the opportunity to share RegenWA’s activities that support Western Australian farmers to implement regenerative practices that support soil health.