Nearly 200 nations pledge to protect 30 per cent of the planet’s oceans, land, and forests

Nearly 200 countries are represented in this list agreed By 2030, 30 percent of Earth’s oceans and lands will be protected. The deal After two weeks of negotiations, a deal was reached at the UN Biodiversity Conference in Montreal (COP15) early this morning. Only the Vatican and the USA were the only remaining parties to the agreement, although the Biden administration has made every effort to make the deal happen. domestic plan To conserve 30% of the US’s land and water by 2030.

Every country that signs the agreement commits to achieving more than 20 environmental goals by the end the decade. The 30×30 plan, which aims to protect 30 percent of the land, inland waters and coastal areas by 2030, is a key condition. It forms the basis for an international agreement similar in nature to the 2015 Paris climate accord.

In addition to protecting habitats, countries have committed to reducing pesticide risk by 50%, nutrient runoff from farms, and the rate that invasive species are introduced into ecosystems.

Now, nations have eight years to prevent the loss of biodiversity caused by human activities like species exploitation, rainforest destruction and pollution. Nations failed to reach the biodiversity targets in previous agreements, such the one at Aichi, Japan, in 2010. This time, however, there is a monitoring system to track progress.

Apart from protecting endangered species, draft COP15 agreement Encourages countries to respect and recognize the rights of indigenous peoples, local communities, and their traditional territories. However, Amnesty International The deal didn’t recognize indigenous lands and territories as a distinct category of conservation area, according to the writer.

The issue of funds was another point of contention between poor and wealthy countries. According to a report by the International Poaching Watch, countries in South America, Africa, and Africa that have the largest rainforests on earth wanted to be assured that money will be provided to them to fight poaching and illegal forest destruction. The Washington Post.

At one point during negotiations, representatives from developing countries walked away from talks about funding issues. Susana Muhamad, Columbia’s environment minister, stated that the agreement must “align both the resources and ambitions.” The Democratic Republic of Congo’s environment minister, Ève Bazaiba, added that “when it comes to fauna, we need to have the means to achieve this objective.”

Following a landmark deal at the COP15 conference, COP27 climate conferenceApprove a climate damage fund to be used by developing countries. The implementation of the plan’s effectiveness remains to be determined. “While agreements are great, if we’re going to save life on Earth, now we have to roll up our sleeves and do it,” the Center for Biological Diversity’s Tanya Sanerib wrote. “The planet is in a extinction crisis like no other humankind has ever seen, with 28% of species worldwide facing extinction.”