Protecting nature is not a luxury, said Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) executive, Susan Lieberman.
She was speaking ahead of the COP16 UN Biodiversity Conference opening on Monday in Cali, Colombia.
“We’re going to fail on development and climate change if we don’t protect nature.”
Heads of state, scientists, indigenous people, NGOs, youth, business and other groups will be among the 14,000 people attending COP16 from October 21 to November 1.
When 196 countries adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework at COP15 in Montreal, in the early hours of December 19 2022, it was a watershed moment for nature. Yet on the eve of COP16, only 32 of them had submitted updated National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans as required under the global deal.
“We expect more plans will come during COP16,” said David Ainsworth, information officer for the secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
By Saturday 103 countries including South Africa had submitted national targets, which act as an interim “backup plan” for those which have not completed or revised their national plans.
COP16 will work on the monitoring framework to hold parties accountable for the implementation of their targets said Ainsworth. Implementation will be a major theme at the conference.
“From our perspective, the priority is how governments are doing in implementing the Global Biodiversity Framework,” said Lieberman, WCS vice-president of international policy and chair of policy committee for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
“If all of those things were delivered, biodiversity would be in better shape, climate change and health would be in better shape,” she said.
Progress on headline targets — such as the 30x30x30 target to protect 30% of the world’s lands, oceans and freshwater by 2030, to reverse and halt the loss of biodiversity — has been limited since COP15.
For example, only 2.8% of the world’s ocean is “effectively” protected and only 8.3% is designated as marine protected areas a new report by a consortium of nature NGOs and funders revealed ahead of the Cali conference.
What then can the world and South Africa expect from COP16?
Three issues are likely to be high on the agenda :
- MOBILISING FINANCE
Funding will be a major issue and possibly as contentious as it was at COP15. Developed countries need to deliver on their financial commitments and the Global South, including the African bloc, will push for additional funds. “South Africa, as a party to the Convention on Biological Diversity ... will advocate for the provision of new and additional financial resources from developed countries to assist developing countries to implement the Global Biodiversity Framework,” said Peter Mbelengwa , chief director of communications for the department of forestry, fisheries and the environment.
South Africa's biodiversity provides substantial employment opportunities in a range of sectors, including among others nature-based tourism, wildlife economy, bioprospecting and the marine and fisheries sector
— Peter Mbelengwa, department of forestry, fisheries and the environment
Countries have committed to deliver at least $20bn a year by next year (2025) and $30bn by 2030, while an estimated $700bn per year must be mobilised to implement the global biodiversity agreement.
“(This) sounds astronomical but it is dwarfed by the trillions that flow to activities harming biodiversity,” said Ainsworth. At least $500bn a year of harmful subsidies need to be diverted from harming biodiversity to saving it, countries have agreed.
Funders needed to support both biodiversity and climate finance said Lieberman. “Everyone understands the connection between intact nature and ecological integrity and climate change, but we’re hoping there is a decision that asks the climate COP (next month) to take action ... to say to the donors you have to support both.”
- PROTECTING SPECIES AND RESTORING ECOSYSTEMS
Monitored wildlife populations have declined 73% over the past 50 years with freshwater ecosystems having the highest drop of 85%, followed by terrestrial (69%) and marine (56%) — and Africa’s monitored wildlife population has dropped 76% — according to the recent WWF’s Living Planet Report.
South Africa is one of the most megadiverse countries globally, with about 67,000 animal species and 20,400 plant species described, said Mbelengwa.
About 40% of its 10,000 marine animal species are endemic, about half its species of reptiles, amphibians, butterflies and freshwater fish and two-thirds of its plant species he said. As a party to the Convention on Biological Diversity, South Africa has robust measures to prevent biodiversity loss he indicated, listing a number.
“South Africa's biodiversity provides substantial employment opportunities in a range of sectors, including among others nature-based tourism, wildlife economy, bioprospecting and the marine and fisheries sector,” he said of its importance to people’s livelihoods.
Ecological integrity is the key that links everything said Lieberman, noting that “30x30 doesn’t mean anything if it is just lines on the map” and not biodiversity protection on the ground.
- RIGHTS & ROLE OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND BENEFIT-SHARING
Roughly 80% of the world’s biodiverse hotspots are managed by indigenous peoples and local communities, according to the Living Planet Report. Recognising their territories, human rights, leadership and decision-making powers will be a priority at COP16.
Respect for and the preservation of indigenous and traditional knowledge will be another important issue along with the “fair and equitable sharing of benefits” from digital sequence information (DSI) and data, said Mbelengwa.
Countries committed to ambitious targets and now they need to show how they plan to achieve these targets and there is a diversity of approaches ... but we are running out of time
— Lucía Ruiz Bustos, WWF’s director for conservation areas
The national circumstances and development of (countries) would be considered in the decisions around benefit-sharing, as well as ensuring that researchers had access to data said Ainsworth.
He said COP16 would “consider a new programme of work to further enhance the role and rights of indigenous people and local communities”.
Countries are being urged recognise them as partners — in the “conservation, restoration and sustainable use” of land and in the ocean which is at the heart of the biodiversity deal — given their vital custodianship of intact biodiversity.
In simple terms said Lucía Ruiz Bustos, WWF’s director for conservation areas: “COP16 is about accountability on implementation, implementation, implementation. The treasure at the end of the rainbow is ensuring there is a halt to biodiversity loss by 2030.
“Countries committed to ambitious targets and now they need to show how they plan to achieve these targets and there is a diversity of approaches ... but we are running out of time.”
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