The rising awareness of need for urgent action on biodiversity preservation is seen in the Kunming Declaration
Kunming Declaration on biodiversity conservation
- The story: The Kunming Declaration was adopted by over 100 countries October 13, 2021. This was during the ongoing virtual 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UN CBD). It calls upon the parties to “mainstream” biodiversity protection in decision-making.
- What changes: By adopting this, the nations have committed themselves to support the development, adoption and implementation of an effective post-2020 implementation plan, capacity building action plan for the Cartagena Protocol on biosafety. The theme of the declaration is Ecological Civilization: Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth.
- Signatory nations will ensure that the post-pandemic recovery policies, programmes and plans contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, promoting sustainable and inclusive development.
- The UN Biodiversity Conference began on October 11, 2021 and will conclude on October 24. It was originally scheduled to take place from 15-28 October 2020 in Kunming, China but was postponed several times due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
- China said the adoption of the declaration will create momentum for a new global biodiversity pact.
- This declaration is a reflection of the political will of all parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.
- What does the Declaration say: It states that: "Putting biodiversity on a path to recovery is a defining challenge of this decade, in the context of the UN Decade of Action for Sustainable Development, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the UN Decade for Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. It requires strong political momentum to develop, adopt and implement an ambitious and transformative post-2020 global biodiversity framework that promotes the three objectives of the Convention in a balanced manner."
- The parties have demonstrated their commitment to accelerate development and update of the strategy document National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans.
- The signed declaration will be submitted to the General Assembly of the United Nations, the 2022 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, and the United Nations Environment Assembly at the second part of the ongoing session in Kunming, China from 25 April-8 May 2022.
- Details: The nations have committed to "improve the effectiveness, and increase the coverage, of area based conservation and management through enhancing and establishing effective systems of protected areas and adopting other effective area based conservation measures, as well as spatial planning tools, to protect species and genetic diversity and reduce or eliminate threats to biodiversity, recognizing the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities and ensuring their full and effective participation".
- Increase the application of ecosystem-based approaches to address biodiversity loss, restore degraded ecosystems, boost resilience, mitigate and adapt to climate change, support sustainable food production, promote health, and contribute to addressing other challenges, enhancing One Health and other holistic approaches and ensuring benefits across economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development, through robust safeguards for environmental and social protection, highlighting that such ecosystem-based approaches do not replace the priority actions needed to urgently reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a way that is consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement
- Enable the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples and local communities, women, youth, civil society, local governments and authorities, academia, the business and financial sectors, and other relevant stakeholders, and encourage them to make voluntary commitments in the context of the Sharm el Sheikh to Kunming Action Agenda for Nature and People, and to continue to build the momentum for the implementation of the post 2020 global biodiversity framework
- EXAM QUESTIONS: (1) Explain the reasons for the new awareness in nations of the world regarding biodiversity and the need for conserving the same. (2) What are the deleterious effects of biodiversity degradation, on people's lives and livelihoods? Explain.
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