SINGAPORE - When I go running around the Singapore Botanic Gardens, I often pass by the lake where one can see the black swans. To me, they are a beautiful representation of biodiversity on the planet. But they also serve as metaphors for "black swan" events - unpredictable events with major impacts, like Covid-19. The pandemic most likely had animal origins, and one lesson learnt from the global outbreak is that globalisation and the current socio-economic model should better factor in the natural world. For too long, we have underestimated the economic impact of nature: Almost half of the world's gross domestic product depends upon activities intrinsically linked with nature. This approach was highlighted during the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Congress that was held in Marseille, France, earlier this month, in the midst of a global pandemic and escalating climate and biodiversity emergencies. One conclusion can be drawn from the exchanges among experts gathered in Marseille: Climate, nature and human health are inseparable. Two sides of one coin The climate and biodiversity emergencies are not distinct, but two aspects of one crisis. If not done in a sustainable way, human activity threatens the foundation of life on earth and our own survival. The Covid-19 pandemic has shown that we cannot separate ourselves from nature - we are part of it and we depend on it for our lives and livelihoods. Protecting nature can help mankind deal with climate change too. Singapore has announced plans that show it is well aware of this, such as its plan to reforest its nature areas, including mangroves, to help sequester carbon as well as fight erosion and rising sea levels. Today, humanity has reached a tipping point, and IUCN's members have sent a powerful message to delegates gathering at the United Nations' biodiversity and climate conferences in Kunming and Glasgow that the time for change is now. The IUCN congress focused on three main themes: the post-2020 biodiversity conservation framework, the role of nature in the global recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, and the need to transform the global financial system and direct investments into projects that benefit nature. Resolutions adopted in Marseille include a call to protect 80 per cent of the Amazon by 2025, to halt deep-sea mining across the oceans, to adopt an ambitious One Health approach, and the recognition of a special focus on indigenous peoples' rights and role in conservation. More on this topic   Related Story NParks to open wildlife rehabilitation facility as Singapore becomes a City in Nature   Related Story Singapore and EU can collaborate on research, green finance to tackle climate crisis In total, the IUCN adopted 148 resolutions and recommendations such as the following: • France's commitment to achieve 30 per cent of protected areas nationally by next year, and for 5 per cent of its Mediterranean maritime area to be under strong protection by 2027 • The agreement by more than 30 sub-national governments, cities and partner organisations to expand universal access to high-quality green spaces and to enhance urban biodiversity in 100 cities, representing around 100 million citizens by 2025 • The commitment, under the leadership of Western Indian Ocean states, by IUCN and partners to support the Great Blue Wall Initiative - the first regionally connected network to develop a regenerative blue economy to the benefit of 70 million people, aiming at achieving plastic-free oceans. The need for systemic reform is urgent. The Marseille congress paved the way for stronger climate commitments at COP26 - the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November - and for a global biodiversity framework that will be addressed at COP15, the UN Biodiversity Conference in Kunming next April. In November 2019, French President Emmanuel Macron and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping issued the Beijing Call for Biodiversity Conservation and Climate Change, reaffirming their strong commitments to enhance international cooperation and recalling that climate change and biodiversity loss also threaten global peace and stability. Global action needed A partial replica of the Earth during the IUCN congress in Marseille, southern France, on Sept 3, 2021. PHOTO: AFP France has already taken action in four crucial areas: preserving soils, avoiding the use of pesticides, working on the restoration of ecosystems, and preserving the forest and protecting the oceans. The European Union Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific paper published this month intends to tackle the global agenda by forging specific cooperative initiatives in support of the Paris Agreement on climate and the Convention on Biological Diversity. With its European partners, the incoming French presidency of the EU (January to June next year) will develop ambitious climate and biodiversity policies and long-term decarbonisation strategies. In South-east Asia, France has partnered entities in the environmental and research field, and supported decarbonisation initiatives. As an Asean Development Partner since last year, France has put climate and biodiversity action at the fore. In Vietnam and Indonesia, for example, France has established several research projects with Agence Francaise de Developpement, the Centre for International Cooperation in Agricultural Research for Development and the Institute of Research for Development to achieve aims such as reforestation and reducing pollution by microplastics. In Singapore, a joint collaboration between the Nanyang Technological University and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission was launched in 2018 to focus on waste recycling and the recovery of materials from electronic, plastic and food waste. Following the recent launch of the Singapore Green Plan 2030, which outlined Singapore's target of phasing out petrol engines for cars, global French energy companies such as TotalEnergies, Engie and EDF have been actively partnering with local companies to create more accessible electric-vehicle charging points around Singapore. Such collaborations with energy generation company Tuas Power and transport company ComfortDelGro will enable France and Singapore to develop electric-vehicle charging facilities and provide innovative technology and solutions to customers, leading to smarter, greener and faster charging of electric vehicles around the island. More on this topic   Related Story Bird deemed extinct in S'pore if it has not been spotted for 30 years   Related Story NParks adds 10 hard coral species on front-lines of global warming to recovery programme A history of cooperation Indeed, the cooperation between France, Singapore and the region to preserve biodiversity started 200 years ago. When Sir Stamford Raffles landed in Singapore in 1819, he was accompanied by two French naturalists, Pierre-Medard Diard and Alfred Duvaucel, who went on the first natural history expeditions on the island. The drawings they commissioned that documented the fauna and flora in Singapore and the region stand out for their scientific value. These will be published in a book later this year, thanks to a fruitful collaboration between the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, Singapore's National Library Board and the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum in Singapore. I strongly believe that France, the EU, Singapore and Asean will continue to strengthen their collaborations in safeguarding nature for the generations to come. Mr Marc Abensour is Ambassador of France to Singapore.