Asean member-states (AMS) and the Asean Center for Biodiversity (ACB) joined talks last week on a global agreement to safeguard all forms of life on Earth.
Participated in by 196 countries, it was the first meeting of the Open-Ended Working Group for the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework held in Nairobi, Kenya, from August 27 to 30.
Other participants were representatives from state parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), experts, indigenous peoples and communities, and stakeholders from around the world.
State parties to the CBD are expected to adopt the post-2020 global biodiversity framework during their 15th Conference of the Parties (COP 15) in October 2020 in Kunming, China. The new framework represents the world’s plan to halt the alarming trends in the state of nature.
According to the Global Assessment on Biodiversity by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, 75 percent of the Earth’s land surface has been significantly altered, 66 percent of the ocean area is experiencing increasing cumulative impacts, and over 85 percent of wetland areas have been lost.
Interventions by human activities threaten more species with global extinction now more than ever before. Around 1 million species face extinction unless action to reduce biodiversity loss is taken.
The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on Climate Change and Land shows the adverse effects of climate change, among them, the degradation of the world’s key biodiversity areas.
If temperatures rise by 2°C above pre-industrial levels, one-third of these areas will be affected. At 4.5°C, two-thirds of these rich biodiversity areas will experience the impact.
Meanwhile, the 2019 World Economic Forum Global Risks Report noted that environmental issues like extreme weather events, failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation, natural and human-induced disasters, and biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse are among the world’s top 10 risks with the greatest likelihood to happen and impact.
The post-2020 global biodiversity framework aims to respond to these ecological concerns.
In this new framework, state parties aim to build on the CBD’s current Strategic Plan on Biodiversity (2011-2020), which was adopted in 2010.
The framework is expected to facilitate transformative change by taking a holistic approach to the multiple crises facing the planet and all its inhabitants, and leveraging opportunities to invest in biodiversity.
Through nature-centered development pathways, the framework will set the course to achieving the CBD’s vision of “Living in Harmony with Nature” by 2050.
The Nairobi negotiations are drawing on extensive consultations that have taken place around the globe this year.
In the Asean, the ACB has convened consultations among the AMS and key partners in the region to craft Asean’s contribution to the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. The first meeting was held on April 24 in Manila, and the second was held on May 8 in Vientiane, Lao PDR.
The ACB synthesised all AMS’ inputs and submitted these to the CBD.
In their inputs, the AMS identified mainstreaming, resource mobilization, communication and integrating diverse perspectives as four action areas to achieve the vision for 2050.
The AMS also recognized the need for transboundary cooperation among countries to address key biodiversity issues; and strengthening linkages among Asean pillars, such that cross-sectors should be part of action plans, allowing different sectors to be engaged in one another’s activities.
It also saw the need for transformation of mindset to see the AMS as one community working together to increase investment in biodiversity protection, conservation and wise use.
The ACB is an intergovernmental organization that facilitates cooperation and coordination among the 10 AMS and with regional and international organizations on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of such natural treasures.
“As we work toward living in harmony with nature in 2050, mainstreaming of biodiversity is essential,” ACB Executive Director Theresa Mundita Lim said. “Biodiversity is where we get our food, ingredients for medicine, materials for our clothing and shelter, and raw materials for businesses and industries. Biodiversity is interconnected with all development sectors.”
The ACB is working to mainstream biodiversity in the key development sectors of agriculture, fisheries, health, tourism, manufacturing and processing, education and climate change.