By Janet Ekstract
NEW YORK- Over 100 countries agreed to commit to protecting the world’s biodiversity, by signing onto an historic agreement on Monday, after two weeks of negotiations at the COP15 United Nations Biodiversity Summit that met in Montreal, Canada. The agreement is officially known as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework whose goal is to save the planet’s unique biodiversity before it’s too late. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres lauded the agreement: “We are finally starting to forge a peace pact with nature.” China was the intended venue for the summit but due to its COVID issues, Canada stepped in as summit host. Summit president and chairperson, Chinese Environment Minister Huang Runqiu made the final declaration on Monday that countries commit by 2030 to protecting 30 percent of global land and water resources that are essential for biodiversity vs the current 17 percent for land and marine areas. There will also be target goals for protecting crucial ecosystems including rainforests, wetlands and the rights of indigenous peoples.
Meanwhile, the UN Development Program said the agreement offers real hope that biodiversity loss can be greatly reduced and eventually halted. The agreement’s main areas of commitment include maintaining, enhancing and restoring ecosystems, including halting species extinction and preserving genetic diversity. Also included is the “sustainable use” of biodiversity to guarantee that species and habitats can provide food and clean water for humanity while ensuring that benefits of resources from nature such as medicines originating from plants are shared fairly and equally, making certain indigenous peoples’ rights are protected. Paying for and putting resources into biodiversity is also a large part of the agreement that ensures money and conservation efforts reach areas where they are needed.
A key point at the COP15 biodiversity summit was financing with some countries calling for a new fund to help conserve biodiversity while the major commitment – the 30 x 30 pledge, countries agreeing to protecting 30 percent of land and water by 2030 is the most crucial. Experts and climatologists said they expect such a pledge could expand, leading to even greater commitments on the biodiversity front. In a statement on the agreement, UN Executive Director Inger Andersen commented: “For far too long humanity has paved over, fragmented, over-extracted and destroyed the natural world on which we all depend.” She added: “Now is our chance to shore up and strengthen the web of life, so it can carry the full weight of generations to come.”
COP15 was widely viewed as a last-ditch effort to get the world back on course to the recovery and conservation of global biodiversity. Despite controversy over funding and how best to support developing nations in these efforts, the agreement marks a major milestone for respective countries. The agreement comes at a time when the world has seen forests and grasslands lost at alarming rates with seas at their tipping point from plastics pollution that was long ago determined to have detrimental effects on human and animal health. Global Policy Advisor for Greenpeace China, Li Shuo expressed his satisfaction at China’s role in the climate negotiations, commenting that China has managed to narrow the divide between richer and poorer nations. As Shuo said: “Today’s outcome demonstrates that position can forge global progress.” He added: “It is a landmark deal that should propel China to embrace a bigger role in championing nature on the international stage.”
