After several years of pandemic delay, the signatories of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity are now gathering for a meeting in Montréal, Canada.
Negotiations are underway for a new global plan with strong protection for biodiversity, not unlike the Paris Agreement that the world’s countries have agreed to halt human-induced climate change.
The hope is to be able to agree to stabilize species extinction by the year 2030 and reverse the trend by the year 2050.
Related to the climate crisis
The issues on the table in Montréal are related to the climate. A warmer earth affects the survival of plants and animals. The protection of more forests, mangrove swamps, coral reefs, wetlands and other ecosystems can sequester more carbon dioxide in the soil and seas – and contribute to the Paris Agreement’s goal of holding down global warming to 1.5 degrees before the end of the century.
Linda Laikre is professor of population genetics at Stockholm University and is on site in Montréal to promote the importance of the genetic variation gets clear targets. It is present for domestic animals and domestic animals, but absent for wild animals and plants.
– We know that genetic diversity is central to the adaptability and long-term survival of all species. At the same time, there is a reduction in diversity, but we don’t even know how fast it is going, because there is no monitoring program. It is completely insufficient, says Linda Laikre.
Many cracking questions remain
Many environmental organizations and researchers, including at Lund University, warn in call before the meeting that there is a lack of interest among the world’s governments to reach an agreement that can make a difference.
In a draft of the agreement, which only just over half of the countries support, there is a promise to protect at least 30 percent of the earth’s land and water by 2030. That is more than twice the area that is protected today, but some believe that the protection should cover at least half of the planet’s surface in order to reverse the loss of biodiversity.
The world’s rich and poor countries are on different sides in questions of who should pay to protect large areas of nature from exploitation. An initiative led by Brazil calls for $100 billion a year until 2030, but lacks broad support.
The negotiations are expected to last until December 19.