“COP 15”: The Historic Deal To Halt Biodiversity Loss The Loud Silence Of The Palace – Prince Harry Wants Crisis Meetings

After more than four years of negotiations, repeated delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic and talks late into the night, nearly 200 countries – but not the US and the Vatican – have attended the “COP 15” conference on biological diversity and signed an agreement that aims to put humanity on a path towards a life in harmony with nature by the middle of the century.

In an extraordinary plenary session that began on Sunday night and lasted more than seven hours, the countries struggled to reach a final agreement. Finally, at around 3:30 a.m. (local time) on Monday, it was announced that an agreement had been reached.

The DRC’s chief negotiator appeared to block China’s final deal, telling the plenary he could not support the deal as it stands because it would not create a new biodiversity fund that would be funded by the existing UN fund, the Global Environment facility. (GEF), is different. China, Brazil, Indonesia, India and Mexico are the biggest recipients of GEF funds, and some African countries wanted more money for conservation as part of the final deal.

Moments later, however, China’s Environment Minister and COP 15 Chairman Huang Runqiu announced that the deal had been finalized and agreed upon, prompting the plenary to erupt in applause.

Negotiators from Cameroon, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo expressed their incomprehension about the conclusion of the agreement. The DRC said it formally objected to the deal, but a UN lawyer said no. The Cameroonian negotiator called the agreement a “fraud” while Uganda spoke of a “coup d’état” against “COP 15”.

Canadian Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, a former environmentalist, described the Kunming-Montreal Pact as a “bold move to protect nature.”

Governments have not achieved any of the goals they have set for nature in recent decades. The Montreal-Kunming Accord was the subject of a major push to change years of failure, apathy and environmental degradation.

But what has actually been decided? Here are the five main points:

Agreement to preserve 30% of the Earth by the end of the decade

Inspired by Harvard biologist EO Wilson’s vision to protect half the planet for humanity’s long-term survival, Cop15’s most prominent goal has both inspired and divided.

The final text commits governments to conserving nearly one-third of the Earth for nature by 2030 and respecting indigenous and traditional territories when expanding new protected areas. The wording underscores the importance of effective conservation management to ensure that wetlands, rainforests, grasslands and coral reefs are protected not just on paper, but in fact.

Indigenous peoples’ rights at the center of conservation

Indigenous peoples are mentioned 18 times in this decade’s goals to halt and reverse biodiversity, in what campaigners say is a historic victory. Several scientific studies have shown that indigenous peoples are nature’s best stewards.

They make up 5% of humanity, but protect 80% of the planet’s biodiversity. From Brazil to the Philippines, tribes are confronted with human rights violations, violence and land grabbing. The text is clear: Indigenous-led conservation models must become the norm this decade if we really want to do something about biodiversity.

Reform of environmentally harmful subsidies

The world spends at least $1.8 billion each year on government subsidies that drive wildlife extinction and increase global warming, a study found earlier this year. A lack of reform of environmentally harmful subsidies has been one of the main reasons why biodiversity targets have not been met over the past decade, and governments now agree that it is important to make a change.

Company transparency

While the wording has been watered down in the final text, Target 15 requires governments to ensure that large and transnational corporations “disclose their risks, dependencies and impacts on biodiversity.” If implemented, this could be the start of a significant shift in business practices. According to the United Nations, about half of global GDP depends on the healthy functioning of the natural world, and biodiversity loss remains on the corporate agenda. Several countries are already developing rules for sustainable sourcing of products such as palm oil and rubber, which are likely to proliferate following the Kunming-Montreal Pact.

Combating digital biopiracy

Leading up to Cop15, digital sequence information (DSI) was the hot topic of discussion – and something few really understood. DSI refers to digitized genetic information we receive from nature, which is often used to create new medicines, vaccines and foods. These digital forms of biodiversity originate in rainforests, peatlands, coral reefs and other rich ecosystems, but are difficult to trace back to their country of origin and many developing countries now expect payment for the use of their resources.

An agreement was reached in Montreal to develop a financing mechanism for DSI in the coming years, in what was hailed as a historic victory for the African states that called for such a mechanism to be established before the summit.

View all COP 15 agreements here.

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