Beijing will be crucial to steering an ambitious Paris-style agreement to restore global biodiversity. Top scientists agree that to avert the crisis in biodiversity we must restore and conserve half the earth by 2050, and sustainably manage the other half. Now, many are seeing this as a core element of any Beijing Nature Agreement.

China is taking huge strides to protect large swathes of land across the country through its creation of an ecological civilisation and network of ecological red lines. China is both one of the most biodiverse countries on the planet and a leader in using cutting-edge technologies to address climate change and environmental issues. It has a torch to carry that others can, and will, rally around. There is still time to avoid an irreversible collapse of the natural world. A 2020 Beijing Nature Agreement is a unique opportunity to provide a path for a global ecological civilisation to thrive, and China will be key to making it happen.