One of the world’s leading international nonprofit organisations, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), has said the recently signed agreement “COP15 Accord” will step up efforts to combat biodiversity losses.
This statement is coming after 190 countries signed a new set of goals to guide global action through 2030 to halt and reverse the loss of nature.
The agreement was struck at the UN Biodiversity Conference, COP15, which was held last December, hosted by the governments of China and Canada in Montreal.
The 14-page document, while nonbinding is the first international agreement to give credence to a growing movement that recognizes that nature and everything it encompasses possess inherent rights similar to those of human beings.
In a statement available to NatureNews, the EDF noted that, “The agreement reached today in Montreal is a ringing endorsement of the urgent need to halt biodiversity loss, preserve nature, and put the planet on a path toward recovery from what will be a mass extinction of plants and animals if we fail to act.”
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Eric Schwaab, Senior Vice President for People and Nature and Qin Hu, Vice President EDF China who signed the statement, further reiterated “The recommitment of the world’s leaders to the Convention on Biological Diversity is a milestone step toward ensuring the planet’s ability to thrive. At the same time, we cannot lose sight of the importance of tackling multiple crises at once, including the climate crisis, pollution, the need to transform our food systems and biodiversity.”
The statement also added, “EDF congratulates the governments of China, the presidency of COP15 and Canada, the co-host, on their commitment to reaching an agreement.
“We also recognize that there are still substantial hurdles to overcome, including equitable funding so that developing nations have the resources they need to ensure resilience and biodiversity in the face of mounting challenges. At EDF, we will continue to raise these issues and work with our partners, especially those in the Global South including Indigenous peoples and local communities, in support of the critical engagement of developing nations.
“EDF is particularly encouraged by the commitment made at COP15 to preserve 30 percent of the world’s lands and oceans by the end of the decade, while also recognizing the increasing importance of managing the remaining 70 percent for sustainability. That will require a strong commitment by governments, civil society and business to act on the goals set forward in this historic pact and align these efforts with those to address climate change and drive sustainable development.
“While the Kunming-Montreal agreement is a critically important step toward recognizing the growing biodiversity crisis, now comes the hard part. We must recommit ourselves toward taking concrete actions that preserve nature, ensure equitable use of natural resources and transform our food systems so that we can achieve a vital earth for everyone.”
