Global CA-CoP CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE

for sustainable agriculture, land use and ecosystem management


Dear Subscribers,

Please see a communication from David Duthie of Bioplan regarding Biodiversity COP 15.

Apologies for any cross-posting.

 

Amir Kassam

Moderator

Global CA-CoP

e-mail: [log in to unmask]

URL: http://www.fao.org/conservation-agriculture

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---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: David Duthie <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2021 at 18:38
Subject: Biodiversity COP 15 begins
To: bioplan <[log in to unmask]>


Dear BIOPLANNERS,

As I am sure most of you will be aware, or even there, the virtual part of the two-part 15th Conference of the Parties (CoP 15) finally began this week.

I have not been following the meetings online but did, today, bump into the story below from the very excellent Carbon Brief - my go-to site for following climate change. 

As I have just been reading through the joint IPBES-IPCC report on interlinkages between climate change, biodiversity and societal impacts, I thought it might be interesting to see how journalists used to following climate change take on the CBD (see article below my signature.

Climate Brief's take home message on the first three days is perhaps best summarised in this sentence:  
"The first part of COP15 aimed to build political momentum and interest and was largely ceremonial"

For those preferring more "traditional" CoP coverage, the ever-reliable IISD Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) coverage can be followed for Day 1Day 2, and Day 3 via the links.

Only the first three days (Opening and High-level Segment) of the five day meeting have taken place to date and two more days of negotiations remain and further links will be provided next week.

Best wishes

David Duthie

****************

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****************


Biodiversity COP 15 begins

 

The first part of the UN Biodiversity Summit, COP15, began on Monday. The two-part conference aims to deliver a crucial global biodiversity framework for this decade. Hosts China pledged $233m towards a biodiversity fund for developing countries and invited other countries to contribute. Over 100 countries adopted the Kunming Declaration.

 

WHAT: The 15th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) began in Kunming, China on Monday. It is China’s first major international environmental conference as hosts. Because of Covid-19 constraints, it is being held in two parts: the first, in a virtual format this week; the second, in person in Kunming next year from 25 April to 5 May. The pandemic paused preparatory meetings and “not everyone agreed to the online format”, but scientific and policy discussions have since resumed virtually.

 

BACKGROUND: The CBD has 195 signatories and three main stated objectives: to conserve biological diversity; allow for its sustainable use; and enable fair and equitable benefit-sharing from genetic resources. Its COPs have inspired less interest than those of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change for several reasons. Besides fewer binding legal obligations in the CBD, biodiversity involves much more complex interactions. In addition, targets are harder to set, measure and implement. However, failure to reverse biodiversity loss could undermine global climate, food security and sustainable development goals. Many countries have also set biodiversity targets in their climate pledges. 

 

AIMS: COP15 aims to deliver a Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework to reverse biodiversity loss globally and is a “once-in-a-decade” summit, albeit delayed. It comes a year after a UN report found that the world failed to meet a single biodiversity target for the last decade, agreed to by leaders in Aichi, Japan in 2010. States will negotiate biodiversity targets, finance and reporting standards as well as develop implementation mechanisms as part of the framework. The first part of COP15 aimed to build political momentum and interest and was largely ceremonial.   

 

PLEDGES: COP15 officially opened on Monday, with previous hosts Egypt handing over the presidency to China. Chinese president Xi Jinping pledged $233m towards a Kunming Biodiversity Fund meant for developing countries and invited other countries to contribute to it, while announcing the establishment of the country’s first national parks. Japan announced an additional contribution of $17m to its existing global biodiversity fund. Germany announced that it was investing €600m in global biodiversity conservation – “50% more than in former years.” Bangladesh said the implementation of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework would need “at least $800bn per year”, or 1% of global GDP. The Global Environment Facility (GEF), UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), announced they would “provide immediate financial and technical support to developing country governments” towards assessing policy coherence, monitoring systems and reviewing sources of biodiversity finance. On Wednesday, COP15’s leaders summit concluded with the adoption of the Kunming Declaration after feedback from nearly 40 countries, some of whom raised language concerns and that there was not “sufficient discussion”, Trust reports

 



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