2022 United Nations Biodiversity Conference

Last updated
United Nations Biodiversity Conference
COP15
22dec07-COP15-Sec-Gen-Media-3206 (52549456365).jpg
Date7–19 December 2022.
Venue(s) Palais des congrès de Montréal
Cities Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Participants Convention on Biological Diversity member countries
Follows ← Egypt 2018
Precedes → Colombia 2024
Website https://www.cbd.int/meetings/COP-15

The 2022 United Nations Biodiversity Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was a conference held in Montreal, Canada, which led to the international agreement to protect 30% of land and oceans by 2030 (30 by 30) and the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Contents

History

The conference was originally scheduled to be held in October 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [1] It was rescheduled to be held in April 2022 in Kunming, China, [2] [3] [4] but was postponed again, for a fourth time due to China's zero-COVID policy, to the third quarter of 2022 according to the UN secretariat office on March 29. [5] In May 2022, China requested Canada to assume the host responsibility. The Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault met with representatives from the High Ambition Coalition in early June 2022 and these representatives asked Canada to host COP15. [6] The Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau approved the proposal. In June 2022, the UN secretariat for the Convention on Biological Diversity and China's environment ministry said in separate statements that the meeting would be held in December 2022 in Montreal, Canada, where the secretariat is based, though China would remain the president of the summit. [7] This arrangement is consistent with previous practices of moving the meeting to a different country, such as the 2017 United Nations Climate Change Conference (Fiji held the presidency while Germany organized the meeting for practical purpose) and the 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference (Chile maintained the presidency despite the meeting being moved to Spain due to political instability in Chile). While the host countries of previous COPs had one to two years to organize the conference, Canada had just five months to prepare for the arrival of 18,000 delegates from 196 CBD member states, non-governmental organizations, industry groups and academia. [6]

This is the second time Montreal served as the host city for a UN Conference of Parties meeting, the first time being the COP11 climate change conference in 2005. Montreal also played host to the negotiations for the Montreal Protocol.

Development

Lead-up

Several cities signed the "Montreal Pledge" in advance of the conference to commit to protect biodiversity in their cities through 15 actions. [8]

Negotiations and adoption

During the talks, divisions remained on numerous issues as the conference went into its final days, such as disputes over the funding for conservation efforts. [9] [10] There was also discussion that protections for marine biodiversity could be dropped completely. [11] An op-ed published in The Guardian in mid-December criticized the proceedings as being very slow and lacking urgency. [12]

On December 19, almost every country on earth signed onto the agreement which includes protecting 30% of land and oceans by 2030 (30 by 30) and 22 other targets intended to reduce biodiversity loss. When the agreement was signed only 17% of land territory and 10% of ocean territory were protected. The agreement includes protecting the rights of indigenous peoples and changing the current subsidy policy to a one better for biodiversity protection. However, it makes a step backward in protecting species from extinction in comparison to the Aichi Targets. [13] [14] Some countries said the agreement does not go far enough to protect biodiversity, and that the process was rushed. [13] Only the United States and the Holy See did not join it. [15] The absence of the United States signature weakened the agreement. However, the country helped to reach the agreement, strongly advanced some of the targets mentioned in it, especially 30 by 30, nationally and internationally and is a major donor to biodiversity protection issues. [16]

Content

Francois Legault, premier of Quebec, during the opening ceremony of the COP15 22dec06-COP15-opening-ceremony-5837 (52548114105).jpg
François Legault, premier of Quebec, during the opening ceremony of the COP15

In addition to protecting 30% of land and oceans by 2030, the agreement includes also recovering 30% of earth degraded ecosystems and increasing funding for biodiversity issues. [17] Other targets for the year 2030 include cutting overconsumption and waste, reducing food waste by 50%, and completely stop harming ecosystems that are strongly important for biodiversity. There are also 4 targets for the year 2050 which includes increasing the area of natural ecosystems, restoring their integrity and normal functioning, reducing tenfold the human caused extinction rate, and protecting traditional knowledge. [18]

COP15 adopted a comprehensive package of 6 items: [18]

The advocacy of the UNCBD Women's Cacus and its members led to a Rio Convention for the first time in its 30-year history to adopt a stand-alone target, Target 23, on gender equality in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Convention on Biological Diversity</span> International treaty on biological diversity

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is a multilateral treaty. The Convention has three main goals: the conservation of biological diversity ; the sustainable use of its components; and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources. Its objective is to develop national strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, and it is often seen as the key document regarding sustainable development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety</span> 2003 international agreement on biosafety

The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity is an international agreement on biosafety as a supplement to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) effective since 2003. The Biosafety Protocol seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by genetically modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protected area</span> Areas protected for having ecological or cultural importance

Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources is limited.

Rio Convention relates to the following three conventions, which were agreed at the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine protected area</span> Protected areas of seas, oceans, estuaries or large lakes

A marine protected area (MPA) is a protected area of the world's seas, oceans, estuaries or in the US, the Great Lakes. These marine areas can come in many forms ranging from wildlife refuges to research facilities. MPAs restrict human activity for a conservation purpose, typically to protect natural or cultural resources. Such marine resources are protected by local, state, territorial, native, regional, national, or international authorities and differ substantially among and between nations. This variation includes different limitations on development, fishing practices, fishing seasons and catch limits, moorings and bans on removing or disrupting marine life. MPAs can provide economic benefits by supporting the fishing industry through the revival of fish stocks, as well as job creation and other market benefits via ecotourism. The value of MPA to mobile species is unknown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biodiversity Indicators Partnership</span>

The Biodiversity Indicators Partnership (BIP) brings together a host of international organizations working on indicator development, to provide the best available information on biodiversity trends to the global community. The Partnership was initially established to help monitor progress towards the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) 2010 Biodiversity target. However, since its establishment in 2006 the BIP has developed a strong identity not only within the CBD but with other Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), national and regional governments and other sectors. As a result, the Partnership will continue through international collaboration and cooperation to provide biodiversity indicator information and trends into the future.

The World Wide Views projects were started in 2009 by the Danish Board of Technology Foundation to involve citizens in global environmental policy making through deliberation and voting.

Environmental governance (EG) consists of a system of laws, norms, rules, policies and practices that dictate how the board members of an environment related regulatory body should manage and oversee the affairs of any environment related regulatory body which is responsible for ensuring sustainability (sustainable development) and manage all human activities—political, social and economic. Environmental governance includes government, business and civil society, and emphasizes whole system management. To capture this diverse range of elements, environmental governance often employs alternative systems of governance, for example watershed-based management.

The United Nations General Assembly had declared 2011–20 the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity. The UN Decade on Biodiversity had served to support and promote implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, with the goal of significantly reducing biodiversity loss. None of the 20 aichi targets were achieved, though progress was made towards several of them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conference of the parties</span> Supreme governing body of an international convention

A conference of the parties is the supreme governing body of an international convention. It is composed of representatives of the member states of the convention and accredited observers. Scope of the COP is to review the "implementation of the Convention and any other legal instruments that the COP adopts and take decisions necessary to promote the effective implementation of the Convention".

Ecosystem-based adaptation encompasses a broad set of approaches to adapt to climate change. They all involve the management of ecosystems and their services to reduce the vulnerability of human communities to the impacts of climate change. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) defines EBA as "the use of biodiversity and ecosystem services as part of an overall adaptation strategy to help people to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Mrema</span> Tanzanian biodiversity leader and lawyer

Elizabeth Maruma Mrema is a Tanzanian biodiversity leader and lawyer, living in Montreal, Canada, who has been serving as Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) since 2023, under the leadership of Executive Director Inger Andersen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sustainable Development Goal 15</span> 15th of 17 Sustainable Development Goals to protect life on land

Sustainable Development Goal 15 is about "Life on land". One of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations in 2015, the official wording is: "Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss". The Goal has 12 targets to be achieved by 2030. Progress towards targets will be measured by 14 indicators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">30 by 30</span> International ecological preservation initiative

30 by 30 is a worldwide initiative for governments to designate 30% of Earth's land and ocean area as protected areas by 2030. The target was proposed by a 2019 article in Science Advances, "A Global Deal for Nature: Guiding principles, milestones, and targets", highlighting the need for expanded nature conservation efforts to mitigate climate change. Launched by the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People in 2020, more than 50 nations had agreed to the initiative by January 2021, which has increased to more than 100 countries by October 2022.

Digital sequence information (DSI) is a placeholder term used in international policy fora, particularly the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), to refer to data derived from dematerialized genetic resources (GR).

Other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) are sites outside of protected areas that are governed and managed in ways that deliver the long-term in situ conservation of biodiversity. As of March 2023, 856 such sites have been reported to the World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures, managed by the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre. OECMs cover 1,992,729 km2 (769,397 sq mi) of the Earth's surface, accounting for 1,589,090 km2 (613,550 sq mi) on land and 403,639 km2 (155,846 sq mi) in the ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework</span> International agreement on conservation of biodiversity

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) is an outcome of the 2022 United Nations Biodiversity Conference. Its tentative title had been the "Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework". The GBF was adopted by the 15th Conference of Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on 19 December 2022. It has been promoted as a "Paris Agreement for Nature". It is one of a handful of agreements under the auspices of the CBD, and it is the most significant to date. It has been hailed as a "huge, historic moment" and a "major win for our planet and for all of humanity."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference</span> COP 16 (Biodiversity)

The 2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was a conference that was held from October 21 to November 1, 2024 in Cali, Colombia. The monitoring framework agreed at the previous conference should allow the progress of the countries towards national goals and targets under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework to be evaluated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Seas Treaty</span> International agreement for ocean protection

The United Nations agreement on biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction or BBNJ Agreement, also referred to by some stakeholders as the High Seas Treaty or Global Ocean Treaty, is a legally binding instrument for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction. There is some controversy over the popularized name of the agreement. It is an agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The text was finalised during an intergovernmental conference at the UN on 4 March 2023 and adopted on 19 June 2023. Both states and regional economic integration organizations can become parties to the treaty.

Nature-positive is a concept and goal to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030, and to achieve full nature recovery by 2050. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, the aim is to achieve this through "measurable gains in the health, abundance, diversity, and resilience of species, ecosystems, and natural processes." Progress towards this goal is generally measured from a biodiversity baseline of 2020 levels.

References

  1. ↑ "UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP 15) (Part 1)". IISD. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  2. ↑ Presented; Greenfield, produced by Madeleine Finlay with Patrick; Onuchukwu, the sound design was by Tony; Sanderson, and the executive producers were Max; Stephens, Danielle (2022-03-29). "COP15: is 2022 the year we save biodiversity?". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2022-03-30.
  3. ↑ "Guide to COP15". British Ecological Society. Retrieved 2022-03-30.
  4. ↑ "Press corner". European Commission - European Commission. Retrieved 2022-03-30.
  5. ↑ "Biodiversity summit in Kunming, China delayed for fourth time-organisers". Reuters. 2022-03-29. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
  6. 1 2 Ballingall, Alex; Allen, Kate (2022-12-23). "COP15 in Montreal was messy and imperfect. How Canada and China came together to try to save the planet anyway". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  7. ↑ "Canada to host UN biodiversity summit after event moved from China over COVID-19 | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
  8. ↑ Riga, Andy (16 November 2022). "Major cities join Plante in vowing to protect nature ahead of COP15 gathering". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  9. ↑ Briggs, Helen; Gill, Victoria (December 13, 2022). "Biodiversity: Can we set aside a third of our planet for nature?". BBC. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  10. ↑ Briggs, Helen (December 16, 2022). "Biodiversity: Row over funding threatens to stall talks". BBC. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  11. ↑ Michael, Chris (December 16, 2022). "Watered down: why negotiators at Cop15 are barely mentioning the ocean". The Guardian. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  12. ↑ The Secret Negotiator (December 14, 2022). "Cop15 was meant to be nature's Paris moment, but Greta Thunberg's 'blah, blah, blah' cry is proving right". The Guardian. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  13. 1 2 Paddison, Laura (December 19, 2022). "More than 190 countries sign landmark agreement to halt the biodiversity crisis". CNN. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  14. ↑ Curry, Tierra (December 24, 2022). "COP15 biodiversity summit: Paving the road to extinction with good intentions". The Hill . Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  15. ↑ Einhorn, Catrin (December 19, 2022). "Nearly Every Country Signs On to a Sweeping Deal to Protect Nature". The New York Times . Retrieved December 27, 2022. The United States is just one of two countries in the world that are not party to the Convention on Biological Diversity, largely because Republicans, who are typically opposed to joining treaties, have blocked United States membership. That means the American delegation was required to participate from the sidelines. (The only other country that has not joined the treaty is the Holy See.)
  16. ↑ WESTON, PHOEBE; GREENFIELD, PATRICK. "The World Made a Biodiversity Pact, And Of Course We Aren't Part of It". Mother Jones. The Guardian. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  17. ↑ Greenfield, Patrick; Weston, Phoebe (19 December 2022). "Cop15: historic deal struck to halt biodiversity loss by 2030". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  18. 1 2 "COP15: NATIONS ADOPT FOUR GOALS, 23 TARGETS FOR 2030 IN LANDMARK UN BIODIVERSITY AGREEMENT". Convention on Biological Diversity. United Nations. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  19. ↑ "Women Make History At CBD COP15". inewsexpress. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
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