Representatives of about 200 countries reached agreement in Yerevan early Saturday on key parts of a new action plan for nature, after nearly two weeks of negotiations and talks that continued beyond their scheduled end. The deal acknowledges that countries are falling behind on commitments made four years ago to halt and reverse the decline of nature, as scientists warn that human activity is driving species to extinction at 100 times the natural rate.
“That’s it. It’s perfect,” said council president Hambarzum Matevosyan after the agreement was reached.
A commitment to protect nature
In 2022, countries signed the landmark Global Biodiversity Framework, which included 24 goals, including a pledge to protect 30% of the world’s land and oceans by the end of this decade.
They agreed that action was urgent. Scientists say the planet is facing its sixth mass extinction, with human activity accelerating species loss far beyond the natural rate.
However, the United Nations says the world is currently on track to meet only one of the 20 goals assessed.
As part of this week’s agreement, countries acknowledged that they are behind schedule.
“It’s not particularly exciting or detailed, but it’s good news that countries may be able to reach an agreement,” said Katherine Weller of the environmental charity Fauna and Flora.
“We can’t just coast towards 2030 without changing course. Nature is vitally important to all life on Earth—to our economy and well-being,” she added.
Craig Bennett, chief executive of the Wildlife Trust, agreed, telling BBC News: “We are still seeing terrible losses and are under threat of ecological collapse on a global scale. There are really no words for how serious this is.”
But “the good news is there are so many examples around the world of how to turn things around,” he added.
Examples of progress
Countries have dealt with 623 million acres (252 million hectares) of degraded land and placed it under protection—an area larger than Greenland. The agreement includes measures to bring more land under protection.
Last month, WWF praised conservation efforts that have helped key species, including elephants, green sea turtles and tigers, recover.
Funding remains a barrier
Countries recognize that funding is the main barrier to accelerating these efforts.
In 2022, they agreed to spend $30bn (£22.4bn) on nature restoration by the end of this decade and to mobilize a further $170bn from private finance.
Several years later, however, many countries have redirected international aid toward defense budgets and responses to repeated energy shocks. As a result, funding pledges remain below the level needed to meet the goal, according to the United Nations.
More than $1bn in donations was pledged at the meeting. Half of that sum came from philanthropists, including Leonardo DiCaprio’s Re:wild organization.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
