• The Global Biodiversity Outlook report by the UN’s Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) says the natural world is suffering badly and getting worse despite the encouraging progress in several areas.
• Biodiversity, and the services it provides, is essential to human well being, but it has long been in decline.
The variety of plant and animal life in the world is declining faster than ever, a new report by the United Nations warns.
The Global Biodiversity Outlook report by the UN’s Convention on Biological Diversity says the natural world is suffering badly and getting worse despite the encouraging progress in several areas.
Biodiversity, and the services it provides, is essential to human well being, but it has long been in decline. This is why, 10 years ago, the international community adopted the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-20. The aim was to address many of the causes of biodiversity loss.
However, those efforts have not been sufficient to meet most of the Aichi biodiversity targets established in 2010.
The report which was released on Tuesday in Canada says none of the Aichi biodiversity targets will be fully met. This will in turn threaten the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and undermine efforts to address climate change.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all UN member states in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has further highlighted the importance of the relationship between people and nature and it reminds us all of the profound consequences to our own well-being and survival that can result from continued biodiversity loss and the degradation of ecosystems,” the report says.
CBD executive secretary Elizabeth Mrema said flagship report underlines that “humanity stands at a crossroads with regard to the legacy we wish to leave to future generations.”
“Many good things are happening around the world and these should be celebrated and encouraged. Nevertheless, the rate of biodiversity loss is unprecedented in human history and pressures are intensifying.
Mrema said earth’s living systems as a whole are being compromised.
“And the more humanity exploits nature in unsustainable ways and undermines its contributions to people, the more we undermine our own well-being, security and prosperity.”
Mrema said as nature degrades, new opportunities emerge for the spread to humans and animals of devastating diseases like this year’s pandemic.
Major threats to biological diversity in Kenya are high population pressure; escalating poverty and conflicts; poor land-use practices; inadequate laws, policies and institutional framework; poor education and inadequate involvement of the community among others.
Despite the gloom, there have been some success stories. Almost 100 countries have incorporated biodiversity values into national accounting systems. Globally, the rate of deforestation has fallen by about a third.
“There has been a significant expansion of the protected area estate, increasing over the 2000-2020 period from about 10% to at least 15% terrestrially, and from about 3% to at least 7% in marine areas. The protection of areas of particular importance for biodiversity (key biodiversity areas) has also increased from 29% to 44% over the same time period,” part of the report says.
One of the Aichi biodiversity targets was for people to be aware of the values of biodiversity and the steps they can take to conserve and use it sustainably by 2020.
The report says many more people have heard about biodiversity, especially the young. The target has however not been achieved.
The report said biodiversity values ought to have been integrated into national and local development and poverty reduction strategies by 2020. There is no evidence this has been achieved.
The implementation of plans for sustainable production and consumption, halving the rate of loss of all natural habitats, sustainable harvesting of all fish and invertebrate stocks and aquatic plants by 2020 has also not been achieved.
The sustainable management of areas under agriculture, aquaculture and forestry and containment of pollution have not been achieved.
The report calls for conservation of the intact ecosystems, restoring ecosystems, combating and reversing degradation, and employing landscape-level spatial planning to avoid, reduce and mitigate land-use change.
It also calls for a transition to sustainable agriculture, food systems, fisheries, cities and infrastructure.