“The agreement is an important step for biodiversity,” Franz Perrez, environmental ambassador for the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), said at the request of the Keystone-SDA news agency. Perrez conducted the negotiations for the Swiss delegation in Montreal, Canada.
“The strength of the agreement is the very specific goals,” Perrez said. In particular, the goal of protecting at least 30 percent of the world’s land and sea areas by 2030 has been a success.
According to Perrez, Switzerland hoped for even more ambitious goals in some areas. “We would have liked to have a numerical target for pesticide reduction.” Moreover, according to Perrez, more countries could have agreed to provide funding for biodiversity protection.
Now is the time to realize these goals. “I hope that this agreement will give an impetus to as many countries as possible to adapt their national strategies accordingly,” said Perrez. Switzerland must now also investigate how these results can be incorporated into its national biodiversity strategy.
Environmental groups’ assessment of the agreement is mixed. The environmental foundation WWF expressed its satisfaction in principle in a statement. “It’s a victory for people and the planet,” said general manager Marco Lambertini in a statement from WWF Switzerland.
However, there are also weaknesses. WWF Switzerland criticized the lack of a binding mechanism that would hold governments accountable if they fail to meet targets. Greenpeace Switzerland also criticized in a statement that it was left open as to how these goals would be achieved. According to Birdlife Switzerland, the agreement is a step in the right direction, but not enough to halt the loss of biodiversity.
The environmental organization Pro Natura was disappointed. They wrote in a statement that they had failed to reverse the trend to save nature.
(SDA)