Establishing a Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework

Abstract

Biodiversity and human survival go hand in hand but biodiversity and related crucial resources are declining. According to the ‘Living Planet Report 2018’ wildlife populations have declined by 60 per cent since 1970, while human activities have caused alterations to 97 per cent of all land and 66 per cent of the marine environment. Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will be developing a post-2020 framework called the Global Biodiversity Framework. The goal of this is to stop biodiversity loss by 2030 and achieve recovery by 2050. In October 2021 CBD COP15 (the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties) took place to determine the framework and the second part of the conference which is scheduled for the second half of 2022 will see the framework being further negotiated and adopted. Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius said: ‘In these challenging times, multilateralism is more critical than ever, for people and the nature we depend on. The evidence is clear: we need a future in harmony with nature, for ourselves, for future generations, for our climate and for sustainable development — and we need a common roadmap to achieve it.’ An important document to emerge from part one of CBD COP15 was the Kunming Declaration, which requests that the parties involved prioritise the protection of biodiversity when it comes to decision-making and recognise the key role of conservation in protecting human health.