This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.
Today begins the COP15 meeting of the United Nations Biodiversity Conference in Montreal. From 7 to 19 December, countries will strive to reach a global agreement to protect nature and the planet with long-term goals by 2050 and milestones for 2030. The Commission, representing the EU , will work with all parties to reach a ambitious global agreement to protect, restore, sustainably use and invest in biodiversity and ecosystems. During the high-level segment from 14 to 17 December, Commissioner Sinkevicius will represent the Commission and lead the EU negotiating team.
After more than two years of negotiations, the The Commission wants to make COP15 a “Paris moment” for biodiversity, referring to the historic climate summit where the world agreed to limit climate change to 1.5°C. Great ambition is also needed to tackle the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss and if we want to maintain our planet’s capacity to support 8 and soon 10 billion people, fight against climate change and protect our livelihoods. First, it will be essential to leave global nature in better condition in 2030 than it was in 2020.
EU at COP15: priorities for a global biodiversity framework
The Commission, together with EU Member States, will work towards the adoption of a ambitious, comprehensive and transformative post-2020 global biodiversity framework. An agreement at COP15 should include:
- A target at protect 30% of land and oceans by 2030, particularly the areas most valuable for biodiversity and ecosystem services. Protected areas should be well connected and effectively managed.
- A target at restore 3 billion hectares of degraded terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems and 3 billion hectares of ocean ecosystems. By restoring these areas, they can be more productive than today and more resilient to droughts, floods and pests.
- Targets to respond to direct drivers of biodiversity lossincluding pollution.
- Commitments to promote the sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystems, including through agro-ecological approaches, reducing the use of pesticides, halting deforestation and integrating nature-based solutions into our economy. Sustainable use of biodiversity can meet people’s needs, for example for food, fibre, fuel, medicine or tourism, while supporting conservation.
- Strong monitoring framework with a set of key indicators and a robust mechanism for the review of national targets in support of the implementation of the framework ensuring that the agreement is fully implemented.
Mobilizing biodiversity finance
The required ambition will require the mobilization of substantial financial resources for the conservation of biodiversity and the sustainable use of biodiversity. As President of the Leyen announced in his State of the Union address, the The European Union doubles its global biodiversity funding to €7 billion over the period 2021-2027, especially for the most vulnerable countries, and encourages all international donors to live up to the same level of ambition. In Montreal, the Commission will also support a strong program to mobilize resources from all sources, national and international, public and private.
As a priority, existing resources must be used more efficiently, including by aligning all financial flows with nature-friendly objectives and tackling harmful subsidies. Companies play a major role in that. It starts with monitoring, assessing and disclosing their impacts and dependencies on nature. The EU supports the global business coalition calling for Mandatory reporting by businesses and financial institutions.
One of the main negotiation issues is the access and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources (Digital Sequence Information, or DSI). The Commission insists that any solution should be practical and easily applicable. It should ensure legal certainty and clarity and generate more benefits than costs. In particular, free access to this information must be guaranteed and scientific research cannot be hindered.
As we cannot manage what we cannot measure, the Commission will also advocate for enhanced capacity building and development, and commits to developing a Global Biodiversity Knowledge Support Service support our partner countries in the implementation of the future global agreement.
Background
With half of the world’s economic output depends on nature, protecting biodiversity means safeguarding the fundamental elements on which we all depend. Global food security, which relies on insect pollination and healthy soils, is at serious risk if biodiversity decline and ecosystem degradation continue at their current rate. Biodiversity loss undermines the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and other international goals and targets.
At the same time, nature is our best ally in the fight against climate change and the natural disasters that result from it. Nature-based solutions are also among the cheapest and most effective measures against climate change, but to play this role, our environment must be healthy. Currently,
• one million species are threatened with extinction, due to human activity. Among these species are 40% of all insects
• tropical forests are cut at the rate of 13 million hectares, the equivalent of Greece or Nicaragua, per year
• one third of the land on our planet is seriously degraded and 24 billion tonnes of fertile soil are lost each year.
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