Biodiversity – Stewardship for Vital Resources

The DNC2022 focused on strengthening biodiversity with other challenges in society (e.g., climate change, urban and regional development, agri-food and forest systems and circular economy). Under the theme “Biodiversity – stewardship for vital resources”, the fourth Dresden Nexus Conference (DNC) took place on 23–25 May 2022 as an online conference (sessions) with selected live and on-site elements and formats.

The programme explored research and practical examples of sustainable resource management in communities around the world and how these management strategies support the achievement of the SDGs. Its lasting outcome is the DNC2022 Signatory Document.

A general overview

Changes in demographics, urbanisation, climate, and their human causes have resulted in significant impacts and pressures on the availability and quality of environmental resources. Current approaches to environmental resources management are often based on ‘siloed thinking’ whereby the interconnectedness between resource systems is ignored. Against this background, the Dresden Nexus Conference (DNC) is dedicated to advancing the Resource Nexus to enable the sustainability of environmental resources. Co-organised by United Nations University – Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES), the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER), and the Technische Universität Dresden (TU Dresden), the conference provides a platform for inter- and transdisciplinary exchange on the Resource Nexus. By bringing together actors from a diverse range of disciplines and sectors, DNC fosters dialogue on how nexus thinking contributes to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and a deep transformation towards Strong Sustainability in its ecological, economic, and social dimensions.

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