Showcasing the Intersection of Biodiversity and Climate Through Strategic Campaign Coordination
The Challenge
As part of the comprehensive six-month “Road to COP” tentpole campaign, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) needed to position itself as a thought leader at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) COP16 in Cali, Colombia—a forum focused on global biodiversity conservation. With an emphasis on demonstrating the critical link between biodiversity loss and climate action, EDF faced the complexity of:
• Coordinating 6 strategic events spanning forests, oceans, and Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLC) engagement in an unfamiliar multilateral forum
• Managing a compact 8-member delegation (including executive leadership) across October 24-31, 2024
• Integrating 9 specialized workstream teams (Analytics & Reporting, Brand Writing, Creative & Design, Editorial Content, Messaging, Internal Communications, Social Media, and Thought Leadership) with compressed timelines
• Navigating messaging challenges around technical versus accessible language for diverse audiences in the CBD process
• Developing and maintaining EDF’s presence at a conference where the organization was in “listen and learn” mode rather than aggressive media engagement
• Building promotional strategies for events with insufficient lead time and limited prior experience in biodiversity-focused convenings
Strategic Approach
Fuzieh Jallow, now Founder & CEO of Terra40, served as the Road to COP campaign leader during her time at EDF, providing comprehensive Strategic Event Communications & Brand Strategy through a campaign-based approach integrating multiple services:
Strategic Planning & Coordination: Developed and executed EDF’s integrated participation strategy for COP16, closely aligning activities with EDF’s multi-year Road to COP30 strategy to underscore biodiversity’s critical role in global climate efforts. Conducted weekly coordination meetings with the Global Engagement & Partnerships team and Marketing, Communications, and Development staff to ensure seamless collaboration.
Event Production & Campaign Management: Led planning for three flagship events addressing key biodiversity priorities: IPLC Engagement and Forest Financing, Chile Pavilion Event on the Ocean Twilight Zone, and ICRI #ForCoral Pavilion Event on Cuba’s Coral Reefs. Coordinated intimate dinner for IPLC organizations and donors, managing logistics and stakeholder relationships while navigating compressed timelines between COP16 and COP29.
Message Development & Brand Stewardship: Developed COP16 EDF Messaging Guide with executive-level and detailed messaging on overarching themes and specific mission priorities. Balanced technical accuracy required for CBD process audiences, with accessible language needed for media and public engagement, working through iterative refinement to align messaging with diverse stakeholder needs.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Facilitated coordination across participating teams through structured project plans, comprehensive tracking tools, and regular check-ins with workstream leads, and created and maintained delivery schedules, ensuring alignment across brand writing, creative development, social media, and internal communications.
Delegation Management: Provided strategic coordination for EDF’s 8-member COP16 delegation, including executive Amanda Leland and specialists in forests and oceans, ensuring efficient participation and thought leadership positioning across the week-long conference.
Realized Impact
EDF’s strategic participation at COP16 delivered meaningful stakeholder engagement and established a foundation for future biodiversity work:
Media & Communications Achievement:
• 7 media hits related to COP16, including international publications and one high-reach collaboration article
• Notable coverage of EDF’s position on solar geoengineering research and biodiversity conservation approaches
• The highest potential reach article highlighted the collaboration between the Manuel Ramírez Research Center, Uniandes, and EDF on innovative financing models
• Coverage topics ranged from geoengineering to biodiversity conservation and emissions reduction strategies, laying groundwork for EDF’s voice in emerging climate policy areas
Digital & Social Media Impact:
• 38 posts across platforms, driving over 77,000 views
• 4.6% average engagement rate—above brand average
• Top LinkedIn post for Amanda Leland reached nearly 19,500 views, demonstrating emotional resonance
• Instagram audience connected strongly with nature imagery, achieving 9.9% engagement rate (more than 2x brand average)
• Beautiful ocean and coral reef footage drove top video performance
Event & Stakeholder Engagement:
• 60 attendees filled the IPLC and Forest Financing flagship event with an agenda format encouraging active participation
• Intimate dinner for IPLC organizations and donors advanced critical conversations on financial mechanisms for biodiversity conservation through carbon markets
• Three carefully selected flagship events aligned with strategic priorities, reinforced the EDF brand, and received comprehensive marketing support
• Events showcased the intersection of biodiversity conservation and climate action through partnerships with governments, Indigenous leaders, and conservation experts
Internal Communications Success:
• Strong staff engagement with #onlocation videos: 278-375 views per video
• Strategic communications approach balanced multiple simultaneous climate events without overwhelming internal audiences
• Successful use of Inthe form-Amplify-Personalize-Engage model for internal stakeholder management
Strategic Positioning & Learning:
EDF successfully used COP16 as a learning opportunity to understand the CBD process, test messaging approaches, and build relationships in the biodiversity space. The engagement revealed opportunities to improve event promotion, implement systematic post-event evaluation, align with audiences earlier, and pursue more aggressive media engagement in future years. These insights directly informed planning for the subsequent COP29 engagement and established a foundation for EDF’s continued biodiversity and climate integration work, leading to COP30 in Belém, Brazil. At this forum, both biodiversity and climate converge in the Amazon region.