Today, December 7, 2022, the United Nations Biodiversity Summit begins, at which a global framework agreement for the conservation of biodiversity is to be established. German scientists have compiled a list of ten “must-dos” for the negotiating partners which measures would be necessary and what would best help against the global loss of species. Among other things, 30 percent of the planet is to be placed under protection by 2030.
"At the Biodiversity Summit, governments from around the world will come together to agree on a new set of goals for nature," the United Nations writes on its website. The negotiating parties want to ensure "that by 2050 the common vision of a life in harmony with nature will be realized." Scientists from the Leibniz Research Network Biodiversity fear, however, that the summit starting today, December 7, 2022, could fail to achieve this goal. They recommend ten approaches that they believe urgently need to be considered in the negotiations.
“Biodiversity is not a luxury. It secures our human existence. Biodiversity provides food, clean water and medicines. It ensures that ecosystems function. We need biological diversity for our health, our identity,” says Katrin Böhning-Gaese from the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Center, explaining the importance of the demands that she and her colleagues have published.
protect ecosystems
At the top of the researchers' list is the protection of ecosystems on land and in the sea. To date, human intervention has severely altered and damaged the habitats of 83 percent of wild mammals and 50 percent of plants. The scientists are therefore calling for a total of 30 percent of the planet to be officially protected by 2030. This demand was already formulated as a goal in the run-up to the biodiversity summit by researchers, nature conservation organizations and also some politicians. Another point among the “must-dos” is to enshrine the protection of biodiversity as a top priority worldwide, which must be taken into account in political decisions. According to the scientists, this also includes pursuing protection strategies across national borders.
In addition, one billion hectares of damaged ecosystems would have to be renatured worldwide. "The renaturation and extensive restoration of habitats for more biological diversity is a real task for the future, but in view of the extinction of species it is urgently needed," says Wolfgang Wende from the Leibniz Institute for Ecological Spatial Development. The protection and renaturation of ecosystems could not only help to preserve around two thirds of the species threatened with extinction. This would also help slow down climate change and limit warming to below two degrees.
reform agriculture
Another central aspect is the transformation of agriculture and the management and financing systems that dominate today. "We need clear environmental policy framework conditions for agriculture and a long-term, flexible system of rewards for biodiversity and other ecosystem services," emphasizes Bettina Matzdorf from the Leibniz Center for Agricultural Landscape Research. "We will only develop the diverse agricultural landscapes that are necessary for the preservation of biodiversity together with motivated farmers." Instead of the usual subsidies based on area or production quantities, more money must be put into environmentally friendly, nature-preserving agriculture.
According to the research network, other desirable goals include greening cities, reducing light pollution, further expanding global biodiversity databases and preserving indigenous languages. "With the loss of languages, we are losing the traditional ecological knowledge of indigenous peoples, which is crucial for the preservation and protection of their natural habitat," explains Tonjes Veenstra from the Leibniz Center for General Linguistics.
"The world summit on nature in Montreal will decide the fate of biodiversity," says Böhning-Gaese. "This also involves the question of whether we and our children and grandchildren can live well on earth in the future." The UN biodiversity summit ends on 19. December. The result is still open.
Source: Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research; Specialist article: Leibniz Research Network Biodiversity, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7322802