TheGlobal Biodiversity Outlook 5 report has been published in the runup to a keyUN summit later this month. Accordingto the report, the world has failed to meet any of the Aichi biodiversitytargets intended to stop the destruction of nature and wildlife this decade.
What are theAichi Biodiversity Targets?
There are 20 Aichi biodiversity targetswhich have been broken down into 60 separate elements to monitor overallprogress. Of these, seven have been achieved, 38 have shown progress and 13have shown no progress. Progress remains unknown for two elements.
The UN report found that six Aichi targets have beenpartially achieved, including those on protected areas and invasive species.44% of biodiverse areas are now under protection, an increase from 29% in 2000.Around 200 successful eradications of invasive species on islands have alsotaken place.
The UN’s head of biodiversity, Elizabeth Maruma Mrema,said that humanity needed to decide how future generations experience thenatural world. She says, “Earth’s living systems as a whole are beingcompromised. And the more humanity exploits nature in unsustainable ways andundermines its contributions to people, the more we undermine our ownwellbeing, security and prosperity.”
A targetto halve the loss of natural habitats, including forests, has not been met.While global deforestation rates have decreased by about a third in the pastfive year compared with pre-2010 levels, degradation remains high. Wetlandshave continued to disappear and freshwater ecosystems remain criticallythreatened.
Harmfulgovernment subsidies for agriculture, fossil fuels and fishing are highlightedin the report as a particular area of concern.
Althoughthere has been progress in some regions, the proportions of overfished marinestocks has increased in the last decade. Many non-target species are threatenedbecause of high levels of bycatch. The target to sustainably manage and harvestall fish and invertebrate stocks has consequently not been met.
Problem of plastic
Thereport also says that plastic waste has not been sufficiently dealt with. About260 000 tonnes of plastic particles have accumulated in oceans with severeimpacts on marine ecosystems.
More than60% of the planet’s coral reefs are under threat, due to overfishing and destructivepractices, as well as ocean acidification and coastal development.
However,conservation efforts have led to as many as 48 species being saved fromextinction in recent decades.
DavidCooper, deputy executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity,believes that the failure to meet targets was down to certain governments notunderstanding the scale of the challenge faced by the natural world.
Thereport comes as members of the Convention on Biological Diversity negotiate thetargets for this decade. The final round of negotiations were scheduled to takeplace in China last October but have been delayed due to COVID-19, and are nowexpected to take place in May 2021. A significant part of these negotiations isa proposal to protect 30% of the planet.
