Over the past 10 years, natural habitats are continuing to disappear and a large number of species are facing extinction
In the last 10 years, despite good intentions, natural habitats are continuing to disappear and a large number of species are at risk of extinction due to human activities and government subsidies that are harmful to the environment.
This is stated in the new Global Biodiversity Outlook 5 (GBO-5) report, published by the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, which offers an overview of the state of nature. It is a report on the progress made with respect to the 20 global biodiversity targets agreed in 2010 and with a deadline of 2020. Unfortunately, as the dossier highlights, humanity is at a crossroads and the objectives set have not been achieved. Only 6 have been centered but only partially, including those on protected areas and invasive species.
However, even though governments have failed to protect 17% of water-occupied areas and 10% of marine habitats, 44% of vital areas of biodiversity are now under protection, an increase from 29% over 2000.
Only 6 out of 20 targets hit
In particular, for the so-called Aichi Biodiversity Targets, set in 2010, the analysis and the latest scientific discoveries show that 7 of the 60 “elements” - success criteria - among the 20 objectives have been achieved and 38 show progress. In the case of 13 items, no progress was made or a deviation from the goal was indicated and for two items the level of progress is unknown. The report concludes that, overall, of the 20 targets, 6 have been partially met by the 2020 deadline.
The main goal of halving the loss of natural habitats, including forests, has not been achieved. While global deforestation rates have fallen by about a third over the past five years from pre-2010 levels, the degradation and fragmentation of biodiverse ecosystems in the tropics remains high. Wilderness and wetlands are continuing to disappear and freshwater ecosystems remain severely threatened.
Although progress has been made in some areas, the percentage of overfished marine stocks has increased to a third of the total over the past decade and many hitherto non-endangered species are threatened by unsustainable levels of by-catches. As a result, the goal of sustainably managing and harvesting all fish and invertebrate stocks has not been achieved.
According to the report, some 260.000 tons of plastic particles have accumulated in the oceans with severe impacts on marine ecosystems, often with unknown implications.
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More than 60% of the world's coral reefs are threatened, mostly due to overfishing and destructive practices, and the 2015 target to minimize those threats has been missed. It was also lost in 2020, with the climate crisis, ocean acidification and coastal development.
“Now, we must accelerate and expand collaboration to achieve positive outcomes for nature by conserving, restoring and using biodiversity in a fair and sustainable way. If we don't, biodiversity will continue to fail under the weight of changing land and sea use, overexploitation, climate change, pollution and invasive alien species. This will further harm human health, economies and societies, with particularly damaging effects on indigenous peoples and local communities, ”said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP.
The 8 key transitions to halt the decline of Nature
The report also outlined the 8 major transitions needed to slow and then halt the accelerated decline of nature.
- La transition of land and forestse: preserve intact ecosystems, restore ecosystems, combat and reverse degradation and use landscape-level spatial planning to avoid, reduce and mitigate land use change
- La transition to sustainable agriculturee: redesign agricultural systems through agroecological and innovative approaches to improve productivity while minimizing negative impacts on biodiversity
- La transition of sustainable food systems: Enable sustainable and healthy diets with a greater emphasis on a diversity of foods, mostly plant-based, and a more moderate consumption of meat and fish, as well as drastic cuts in waste related to the supply and consumption of food
- La sustainable transition of fisheries and oceansi: protection and restoration of marine and coastal ecosystems, reconstruction of fisheries and management of aquaculture and other uses of the oceans to ensure sustainability and improve food security and living conditions
- La transition between cities and infrastructures: implement "green infrastructures" and create space for nature within built landscapes to improve the health and quality of life of citizens and reduce the environmental footprint of cities and infrastructures
- La sustainable freshwater transition: initiate an integrated approach that guarantees the water flows required by nature and people, improving water quality, protecting critical habitats, controlling invasive species and enabling the recovery of freshwater systems from mountains to coasts
- La transition to sustainable climate action: Employing nature-based solutions, along with a rapid elimination of the use of fossil fuels, to reduce the scale and impacts of climate change, providing positive benefits for biodiversity and other sustainable development goals
- La One Health transition inclusive of biodiversity: management of ecosystems, including agricultural and urban ecosystems, as well as the use of wildlife, through an integrated approach, to promote healthy ecosystems and healthy people.
"This flagship report underscores that humanity stands at a crossroads regarding the legacy we wish to leave for future generations," said Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, executive secretary of the CBD. “Many good things are happening around the world and these should be celebrated and encouraged. However, the rate of biodiversity loss is unprecedented in human history and the pressures are intensifying. The living systems of the Earth as a whole are compromised. And the more humanity exploits nature in unsustainable ways and undermines its contributions to people, the more we undermine our own well-being, security and prosperity. With the degradation of nature, new opportunities emerge for the spread of devastating diseases such as this year's coronavirus among humans and animals. The window of time available is short, but the pandemic has also shown that transformative changes are possible when they need to be made. "
But the time available to do so is less and less.
Click here for the full Global Diversity Outlook report
Sources of reference: Unep
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