#Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework

[biodiversityday]

Secretary-General message for the International Day for Biological Diversity, observed on May 22nd.

The world’s complex web of biological diversity sustains all life on Earth.  Yet it is unravelling at alarming speed — and humanity is to blame. 

We are contaminating land, oceans and freshwater with toxic pollution, wrecking landscapes and ecosystems, and disrupting our precious climate with greenhouse gas emissions.  Decimating biodiversity damages sustainable development today and creates a dangerous and uncertain tomorrow. 

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework offers a pathway to reverse loss and restore biodiversity — while creating jobs, building resilience and spurring sustainable development.

Governments must lead.  But as this year’s International Day for Biological Diversity reminds us, we are all “part of the plan” — we all have a role to play.  Indigenous Peoples, business, financial institutions, local and regional authorities, civil society, women, young people and academia must work together to value, protect and restore biodiversity in a way that benefits everyone. 

As we mark this Day for Biological Diversity, let us commit to be part of the plan.  Let us act urgently to put biodiversity on a path to recovery.  And let us build ambition to the sixteenth United Nations Biodiversity Conference of the Parties in October to protect the planet and create a more sustainable future for us all.

Mr. António Guterres’

[intlforestday]

Statement by the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity on behalf the International Day of Forests 2024; March 21st ''Forests and Innovation''.

Forests harbor some 80 per cent of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity; they support more than a billion people with food, shelter, income, and energy. And they provide three quarters of the world’s accessible freshwater. Containing over half of the global carbon stock in soils and vegetation, forests also support us in combating climate change. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, or the Biodiversity Plan, is a comprehensive plan to protect forests and all ecosystems. Its goals are closely aligned with the Global Forest Goals. They aim to to protect and restore nature; to prosper with nature; to share benefits fairly; and to invest and collaborate for nature. Over the past year, we have seen bold actions on forest conservation regionally and globally. A number of countries have achieved major reductions in the rate of deforestation. The Belem Declaration on the future of the Amazon Forest, the Three Basins Summit, and the Climate Change Conference all set renewed commitments to step up action to protect forests. But forests continue to face major threats. The theme this year for International Day of Forests ��Forests and Innovation: New Solutions for a Better World” is thus very pertinent. We need innovation and new solutions to provide early warning of forest fires and other threats, to combat organized crime, and to promote sustainable forest management and fair supply chains in support of a sustainable bioeconomy. New solutions can build on the knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous peoples and local communities and help to secure their rights over land and resources. Let us all work together to protect forests and to implement the Biodiversity Plan. Let us work to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity by 2030, towards our vision on living in harmony with nature. We can all be part of the Plan.

David Cooper, Acting Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, International Day of Forests 2024.

[indigenouspeopleday]

Archbishop Caccia addresses The 22nd United Nations Permanent Forum On Indigenous Issues.

The Holy See expresses its appreciation for the work of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and would like to offer a few thoughts on the role Indigenous Peoples play in the areas of health and care for the environment. Recently, Pope Francis asked Governments “to recognize the Indigenous Peoples of the whole world, with their cultures, languages, traditions, and spirituality, and to respect their dignity and their rights.” In this sense, it is vital to acknowledge their unique experience in the areas that we are discussing today, which represent an irreplaceable resource for all humanity. In matters related to health, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) affirms the right of indigenous people to their traditional medicines and to maintain their health practices. In this regard, the Holy See stresses the importance of culturally sensitive healthcare. Imposing a model of health disregards the dignity and rights of Indigenous Peoples and risks becoming a form of “ideological colonization.” Furthermore, Governments should remove cultural, economic, linguistic, and information barriers to ensure access to quality health care. Second, while Indigenous Peoples have a minimal impact on climate change, they are among the first to face its consequences. At the same time, the contribution of Indigenous Peoples is fundamental in the fight against climate change. They can help enhance the resilience of ecosystems, including by adapting to the impact of climate change in creative ways, drawing on their traditional knowledge and practice. Therefore, valuing their cultural heritage and traditional knowledge helps open up pathways for better environmental management. Third, Indigenous lands make up around twenty percent of the Earth’s territory and contain eighty percent of the world’s remaining biodiversity. In this regard, Indigenous Peoples are irreplaceable custodians of biodiversity and key partners in its conservation, restoration and sustainable use. Indeed, Indigenous populations hold valuable knowledge and practices for the sustainable management of biodiversity due to their unique relationship with their lands, which is a “fundamental expression of their identity.” With this in mind, the Holy See thus reiterates that any effort to achieve the ambitious targets agreed upon in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework must respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples, including over their territories.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Biodiversity COP: Hold-ups and cash shortfalls threaten forests

The first stop on the road from Cali to Belém, the UN conference in Colombia brought wins to Indigenous peoples, but failed to ensure commitments from wealthy countries to protect the environment

Concita Sõpré speaks with calm. She enunciates each syllable of her Portuguese and waits patiently for a translation to English. She is seated on stage at a table in a noisy room where heads of state, representatives from non-governmental organizations, and community leaders from around the world are speaking to the press, hoping to be heard. The cacophony of voices seeping in from outside the room make it hard for those seated furthest away to understand her. But she has plenty to tell these distant ears: “We preserve for those yet to come. For my grandchildren, my great-grandchildren. That is why this forest exists. That is why clean water and animals still exist,” she says. “What part of what we’re saying does the world still not understand?” she asks.

Concita sees firsthand how life’s time is not bureaucratic time. She is in Cali, Colombia, taking part in events at the COP-16, the UN Biodiversity Conference, where leaders from around the globe are discussing how to save the Nature their very societies have destroyed.

Two years ago, at the COP-15 meeting in Canada, the agreement struck by the nations, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, was lauded as ambitious. They planned to raise the world’s preserved land area from 17% to 30% and water and sea areas from 10% to 30%. They would additionally restore 30% of already degraded areas. To do this, developed countries would contribute US$ 20 billion a year by 2025.

In 2022, there were eight years left for countries to finalize the plan. Now they have six. At this COP-16 meeting, referred to as the “implementation COP” behind the scenes, they are supposed to show their progress and align on the details for reaching this goal, but there has been hardly any movement. Most of them have yet to introduce even one action plan to reach the targets, as agreed two years earlier. And just 2% of the preservation money owed by developed countries has been guaranteed so far. The COP meeting in Cali did manage to bring in more civic participation – there were a record number of delegations and side events with Indigenous communities, Afro-descendants, and civil society organizations, which ensured bigger gains in the final text. Yet no advances were made on the main issue: guaranteeing money to keep the forest standing. It was a wasted opportunity on the road from Cali to Belém, the pair of conferences in Amazonian countries that will include a Climate COP meeting in Pará in 2025, while also raising major expectations for the forest.

Never has so much life been lost and, according to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, a group of over 150 scientists, 75% of the Earth has already changed due to human action. Reducing devastation and letting the forest grow are two fundamental fronts in tackling the climate crisis. The Amazon, Pantanal and Cerrado are on fire. Droughts have made dozens of rivers into deserts. Violent flooding ravaged Porto Alegre months ago. During the COP-16, floods killed over 200 people in Spain.

Continue reading.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Inside Climate News:

Many existing marine protected areas might be something like screen doors on a submarine, at least as far as their impact on ocean conservation.

A new study finds that only a third of the world’s largest marine protected areas (MPAs) currently implement meaningful conservation measures.

Increasingly, marine conservation is the art of separating humans from parts of the ocean. More often than not, marine protected areas, swaths of the sea that are set aside and managed to preserve sea life and its habitats, are the flagship models for government efforts to accomplish this.

However, a recent analysis published in Conservation Letters revealed alarming inadequacies in the effectiveness of the world’s largest MPAs. The study, conducted by an international group of researchers spearheaded by the Marine Conservation Institute in Seattle, Washington, focused on the largest 100 MPAs in the world, which together encompass over 7 percent of the world’s ocean area.

“There are 18,000 MPAs, but a hundred of them make up 90 percent of the area,” said Beth Pike, director of the Marine Protection Atlas and the study’s lead author. “These are the big needle movers.”

Pike and her colleagues found only a third of these MPAs’ total expanse to be under high or full protection—just 2.6 percent of the global ocean footprint. They found another third of these MPAs’ territories allowed for destructive activities, such as mining and industrial fishing, making them inherently incompatible with conservation. Additionally, another quarter of the protected area they analyzed were deemed “paper parks,” meaning that while these ocean spaces had been officially proposed or designated as MPAs, they had yet to implement any subsequent conservation measures. For example, over 60 percent of the OSPAR MPA network, which jointly covers roughly 7 percent of the Northeast Atlantic Ocean, appears to have benefited from no protection activities aside from its listing as a protected area.

These findings stand in stark contrast with the agreement by 188 governments to protect 30 percent of the world’s lands and waters by 2030—the 30×30 initiative—in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted during the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15), in December 2022. 

[cognitivejustice]

Full implementation of the law is crucial to restore the EU’s biodiversity and stop further biodiversity loss, to reach climate neutrality by 2050 and adapt to climate change, and to enhance food security for EU citizens. In doing so, the law will support the achievement of other European ambitions, such as water security.

It is also a key instrument to help the EU and its Member States meet international biodiversity commitments under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

The law sets in motion a process for continuous and sustained recovery of nature across the EU's land and sea while supporting more sustainable economic development and agricultural production and working hand in hand with the development of renewable energy.

As an overall target to be reached at the EU level, Member States will put in place restoration measures in at least 20% of the EU's land areas and 20% of its sea areas by 2030.  By 2050, such measures should be in place for all ecosystems that need restoration. 

The law includes requirements to put in place restoration measures to achieve the good condition of key habitat types and habitats of species on land and at sea. It also requires maintaining urban green space and urban tree canopy cover and increasing this after 2030.

It will help achieve, by 2030, the objective of restoring at least 25,000 km of rivers into free-flowing rivers. In addition, it will contribute to reversing the decline of pollinator populations and improving their diversity, enhance biodiversity in agricultural ecosystems and the biodiversity of forest ecosystems, and contribute to the commitment to plant at least three billion additional trees by 2030 at the EU level.

[warningsine]

Dubai, 10 December 2023 – Climate change is already having catastrophic impacts on many migratory animals and their ability to provide vital ecosystem services to humanity according to a major new report of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), a UN biodiversity treaty.

Released today at the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai (UNFCCC COP28), the report finds that the direct effects of climate change on many migratory species are already being seen, including poleward range shifts, changes in the timing of migration, and reduced breeding success and survival. Integral to the ecosystems they live in, migratory species support vital ecosystem services that both mitigate the impacts of climate change and increase the resilience to climatic hazards.  

The study also emphasizes the urgent need to act now to help vulnerable migratory species adapt to a changing climate. Actions such as the establishment of comprehensive and well-connected networks of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures are crucial to support species movement in response to climate change, whilst direct human interventions, such as the translocation of vulnerable populations of species, will be needed in some cases.

Some of the key findings of the report include:

Strong evidence that global increases in temperature have affected most migratory species groups, and these impacts are mostly negative. For instance, rising temperatures are causing changes in the reproduction and survival of krill and are having a negative impact on marine mammals and seabirds that rely on krill as a key food source.

Strong evidence that climate change is impacting migratory species distribution and timing of migration. In particular, temperature increases are driving poleward range shifts and earlier migration and breeding. In some species, such as wading birds, there is a risk this will cause a mis-match between the timing of breeding and the time when prey species are most abundant.

Changes in water availability are causing the loss of wetlands and reduced river flows, which are likely to particularly impact the migration of fish and waterbirds.

Extreme climate-related events such as landslides are causing severe habitat destruction and have already been observed at some seabird breeding sites.

There is strong evidence that migratory seabirds and marine mammals will be impacted by the changes in oceanic currents which are likely to alter the nature and functioning of many marine and terrestrial ecosystems.

The study ‘Climate change and migratory species: a review of impacts, conservation actions, indicators and ecosystem services’ was commissioned by the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland through the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) as a major contribution to the work of CMS on climate change, and prepared by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO).  

Biodiversity is declining globally at unprecedented rates, and climate change is one of the major drivers of this crisis. In 2021, the world’s leading biodiversity and climate scientists jointly sounded the alarm, stating that biodiversity loss and climate change mutually reinforce each other and neither will be successfully resolved unless both are tackled together. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted last year recognizes that nature-based solutions are essential in the fight against climate change in its Target 8. The conservation of migratory species and their habitats is an important part of the solution to both the biodiversity and the climate change crises.

Migratory species are important for ecosystem function and climate change mitigation, especially when they form a significant part of an ecosystem or aggregate in large numbers at particular times of the year. Many migratory species are related to the movement and dispersal of seeds and nutrients. Large migratory species can contribute to climate change mitigation through the decomposition of their faeces, which locks carbon into the soil or seabed, as well as through more complex processes, such as maintaining trophic webs that protect forest or seagrass beds important for carbon sequestration. Migratory species can also contribute towards climate change adaptation by enhancing ecosystem resilience; for example, seabird guano increases the nutrients available for coral reef growth, which in turn reduces coastal erosion.

The impacts of climate change on migratory species underscore the need for countries to cooperate on actions to ensure their conservation. CMS provides a vehicle for such cooperation, addressing migratory species across their range. By conserving migratory species and their habitat under CMS, countries can also achieve win-win solutions and directly contribute to the goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

The launch of this major report comes in advance of the 14th meeting of the CMS Conference of the Parties, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan from 12 to 17 February 2024. This meeting will be one of the most significant global biodiversity gatherings since the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and will address crucial conservation priorities, including priority actions to address climate change and its impacts on migratory species and their habitats.

[jcmarchi]

MIT delegation mainstreams biodiversity conservation at the UN Biodiversity Convention, COP16

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/mit-delegation-mainstreams-biodiversity-conservation-at-the-un-biodiversity-convention-cop16/

MIT delegation mainstreams biodiversity conservation at the UN Biodiversity Convention, COP16

For the first time, MIT sent an organized engagement to the global Conference of the Parties for the Convention on Biological Diversity, which this year was held Oct. 21 to Nov. 1 in Cali, Colombia.

The 10 delegates to COP16 included faculty, researchers, and students from the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative (ESI), the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), the Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP), the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS), and the Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy.

In previous years, MIT faculty had participated sporadically in the discussions. This organized engagement, led by the ESI, is significant because it brought representatives from many of the groups working on biodiversity across the Institute; showcased the breadth of MIT’s research in more than 15 events including panels, roundtables, and keynote presentations across the Blue and Green Zones of the conference (with the Blue Zone representing the primary venue for the official negotiations and discussions and the Green Zone representing public events); and created an experiential learning opportunity for students who followed specific topics in the negotiations and throughout side events.

The conference also gathered attendees from governments, nongovernmental organizations, businesses, other academic institutions, and practitioners focused on stopping global biodiversity loss and advancing the 23 goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), an international agreement adopted in 2022 to guide global efforts to protect and restore biodiversity through 2030.

MIT’s involvement was particularly pronounced when addressing goals related to building coalitions of sub-national governments (targets 11, 12, 14); technology and AI for biodiversity conservation (targets 20 and 21); shaping equitable markets (targets 3, 11, and 19); and informing an action plan for Afro-descendant communities (targets 3, 10, and 22).

Building coalitions of sub-national governments

The ESI’s Natural Climate Solutions (NCS) Program was able to support two separate coalitions of Latin American cities, namely the Coalition of Cities Against Illicit Economies in the Biogeographic Chocó Region and the Colombian Amazonian Cities coalition, who successfully signed declarations to advance specific targets of the KMGBF (the aforementioned targets 11, 12, 14).

This was accomplished through roundtables and discussions where team members — including Marcela Angel, research program director at the MIT ESI; Angelica Mayolo, ESI Martin Luther King Fellow 2023-25; and Silvia Duque and Hannah Leung, MIT Master’s in City Planning students — presented a set of multi-scale actions including transnational strategies, recommendations to strengthen local and regional institutions, and community-based actions to promote the conservation of the Biogeographic Chocó as an ecological corridor.

“There is an urgent need to deepen the relationship between academia and local governments of cities located in biodiversity hotspots,” said Angel. “Given the scale and unique conditions of Amazonian cities, pilot research projects present an opportunity to test and generate a proof of concept. These could generate catalytic information needed to scale up climate adaptation and conservation efforts in socially and ecologically sensitive contexts.”

ESI’s research also provided key inputs for the creation of the Fund for the Biogeographic Chocó Region, a multi-donor fund launched within the framework of COP16 by a coalition composed of Colombia, Ecuador, Panamá, and Costa Rica. The fund aims to support biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and sustainable development efforts across the region.

Technology and AI for biodiversity conservation

Data, technology, and artificial intelligence are playing an increasing role in how we understand biodiversity and ecosystem change globally. Professor Sara Beery’s research group at MIT focuses on this intersection, developing AI methods that enable species and environmental monitoring at previously unprecedented spatial, temporal, and taxonomic scales.

During the International Union of Biological Diversity Science-Policy Forum, the high-level COP16 segment focused on outlining recommendations from scientific and academic community, Beery spoke on a panel alongside María Cecilia Londoño, scientific information manager of the Humboldt Institute and co-chair of the Global Biodiversity Observations Network, and Josh Tewksbury, director of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, among others, about how these technological advancements will help humanity achieve our biodiversity targets. The panel emphasized that AI innovation was needed, but with emphasis on direct human-AI partnership, AI capacity building, and the need for data and AI policy to ensure equity of access and benefit from these technologies.

As a direct outcome of the session, for the first time, AI was emphasized in the statement on behalf of science and academia delivered by Hernando Garcia, director of the Humboldt Institute, and David Skorton, secretary general of the Smithsonian Institute, to the high-level segment of the COP16.

That statement read, “To effectively address current and future challenges, urgent action is required in equity, governance, valuation, infrastructure, decolonization and policy frameworks around biodiversity data and artificial intelligence.”

Beery also organized a panel at the GEOBON pavilion in the Blue Zone on Scaling Biodiversity Monitoring with AI, which brought together global leaders from AI research, infrastructure development, capacity and community building, and policy and regulation. The panel was initiated and experts selected from the participants at the recent Aspen Global Change Institute Workshop on Overcoming Barriers to Impact in AI for Biodiversity, co-organized by Beery.

Shaping equitable markets

In a side event co-hosted by the ESI with CAF-Development Bank of Latin America, researchers from ESI’s Natural Climate Solutions Program — including Marcela Angel; Angelica Mayolo; Jimena Muzio, ESI research associate; and Martin Perez Lara, ESI research affiliate and director for Forest Climate Solutions Impact and Monitoring at World Wide Fund for Nature of the U.S. — presented results of a study titled “Voluntary Carbon Markets for Social Impact: Comprehensive Assessment of the Role of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLC) in Carbon Forestry Projects in Colombia.” The report highlighted the structural barriers that hinder effective participation of IPLC, and proposed a conceptual framework to assess IPLC engagement in voluntary carbon markets.

Communicating these findings is important because the global carbon market has experienced a credibility crisis since 2023, influenced by critical assessments in academic literature, journalism questioning the quality of mitigation results, and persistent concerns about the engagement of private actors with IPLC. Nonetheless, carbon forestry projects have expanded rapidly in Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and local communities’ territories, and there is a need to assess the relationships between private actors and IPLC and to propose pathways for equitable participation. 

Panelists pose at the equitable markets side event at the Latin American Pavilion in the Blue Zone.

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The research presentation and subsequent panel with representatives of the association for Carbon Project Developers in Colombia Asocarbono, Fondo Acción, and CAF further discussed recommendations for all actors in the value chain of carbon certificates — including those focused on promoting equitable benefit-sharing and safeguarding compliance, increased accountability, enhanced governance structures, strengthened institutionality, and regulatory frameworks  — necessary to create an inclusive and transparent market.

Informing an action plan for Afro-descendant communities

The Afro-Interamerican Forum on Climate Change (AIFCC), an international network working to highlight the critical role of Afro-descendant peoples in global climate action, was also present at COP16.

At the Afro Summit, Mayolo presented key recommendations prepared collectively by the members of AIFCC to the technical secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The recommendations emphasize:

creating financial tools for conservation and supporting Afro-descendant land rights;

including a credit guarantee fund for countries that recognize Afro-descendant collective land titling and research on their contributions to biodiversity conservation;

calling for increased representation of Afro-descendant communities in international policy forums;

capacity-building for local governments; and

strategies for inclusive growth in green business and energy transition.

These actions aim to promote inclusive and sustainable development for Afro-descendant populations.

“Attending COP16 with a large group from MIT contributing knowledge and informed perspectives at 15 separate events was a privilege and honor,” says MIT ESI Director John E. Fernández. “This demonstrates the value of the ESI as a powerful research and convening body at MIT. Science is telling us unequivocally that climate change and biodiversity loss are the two greatest challenges that we face as a species and a planet. MIT has the capacity, expertise, and passion to address not only the former, but also the latter, and the ESI is committed to facilitating the very best contributions across the institute for the critical years that are ahead of us.”

A fuller overview of the conference is available via The MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative’s Primer of COP16.

[biodiversityday]

G7 Climate-Energy-Environment Ministerial Communiqué.

The Convention on Biological Diversity welcomes the G7 Ministers’ strong commitments to being Part Of The Plan – The BiodiversityPlan – to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.

G7 leadership in addressing the triple global crisis – In this regard, mindful of our leadership role in addressing the triple global crisis, we recall our existing commitments in the fields of climate, energy and environment including to reach greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) net-zero by 2050 at the latest in order to keep a limit of 1.5°C temperature rise within reach, in line with the full implementation of the CMA. decision on the Global Stocktake (GST), and realize the transformation of the economic and social system towards netzero, circular, climate-resilient, pollution-free and nature-positive economies and to halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030, in an integrated manner, while ensuring sustainable and inclusive economic growth and development, enhancing the resilience of our economies and accelerating energy transition. As we pursue them, we commit to leveraging synergies and preventing trade-offs, and supporting the implementation of UNEA 6/7 on promoting synergies in this regard. We reaffirm our determination to fully deliver on these commitments in an effective and efficient manner, working with all committed partners with a view to enhancing multilateralism and international cooperation contributing to the achievement of the United Nations 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as to the goals of the Paris Agreement and the goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

We commit to: i. submitting NDCs that demonstrate progression and the highest possible ambition, with economy wide, absolute reduction targets, covering all GHGs, sectors and categories, aligned with 1.5°C, 9- 12 months ahead of CMA.7, emphasizing that it is essential that other major economies submit such NDCs if we are to keep 1.5°C within reach; ii. explaining how these NDCs are informed by the outcome of the GST, including the global sectoral goals set forth in paragraph 28 and 33 of decision 1/CMA.5; iii. including our 2030 targets with our next NDCs and demonstrating their alignment with our net-zero by 2050 commitments and our Long Term Strategies (LTSs); iv. engaging actively in an annual GST dialogue referred to in paragraph 187 of decision 1/CMA.5 and Sharm el-Sheikh mitigation ambition and implementation work programme to have actionable outcomes for urgently scaling-up mitigation ambition and implementation; v. provide support for capacity building needs for NDC preparation in developing countries, including through the NDC Partnership, and encouraging all international institutions and the UN system to coordinate their efforts in this regard; vi. submitting biennial transparency reports, as required by the Paris Agreement, and encouraging and supporting others to submit their biennial transparency reports, at the latest by 31 December 2024 and where possible well ahead of COP29.

The official Declaration of the meeting is available on the

[intlforestday]

Identify, develop and implement targeted joint activities on sustainable land management and sustainable forest management, including through the development of transformative projects to achieve land degradation neutrality and sustainable forest management and through greater information exchange.

The UN Forum on Forests Secretariat, DESA and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification entered into a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today, on the margins of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly. The MoU was signed by Ms. Juliette Biao, Director of the UNFF Secretariat, and Mr. Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD. The key objectives of the MoU are to identify, develop and implement targeted joint activities on sustainable land management and sustainable forest management, including through the development of transformative projects to achieve land degradation neutrality and sustainable forest management and through greater information exchange.

Through this MoU, the two Secretariats aim to strengthen cooperation in the mobilization of financial resources for sustainable land and forest management and build strategic partnerships for implementation. This will include working together to raise awareness on the links between forests and sustainable land management, their contributions to climate change adaptation and mitigation and biodiversity conservation and on enhancing synergies between the Rio conventions and the UN Forum on Forests. The duration of the current MoU is for three years.

The UN Forum on Forests Secretariat and UN Convention to Combat Desertification Secretariat have a long history of working together as partners in the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), and the current MoU will serve to strengthen this existing collaboration in areas of mutual interest. Activities undertaken in implementing the MoU will support the achievement Sustainable Development Goals including SDG 15, the Global Forest Goals of the UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2030, Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets, targets of the Kunming-Montreal global biodiversity framework and Paris Agreement of the UNFCCC amongst others.

[thefree-online]

Takeaways from the Suspended Biodiversity COP

The creation of a permanent consultative body for indigenous people and an agreement on payments for genetic resources are among the highlights from the nature talks. The imbroglio over key discussions including the establishment of a wider new biodiversity fund for developing countries can adversely affect the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). Takeaways…

[evoldir]

Fwd: Course: UPretoria_SouthAfrica.ConservationGenetics

Begin forwarded message: > From: evoldir@evol.biology.mcmaster.ca > Subject: Course: UPretoria_SouthAfrica.ConservationGenetics > Date: 1 October 2024 at 07:30:19 BST > To: rdmpage@gmail.com > > > Conservation Genetics and Wildlife Management Course and Workshop: > > Theme: Applications of Genetics in Wildlife Management, Molecular Ecology, > and Conservation Genetics. > > When: December 9-15, 2024 at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. > UP is one of Africa's top universities and the largest university in > South Africa. > > Course Objective: To train participants to understand and use population > genetics principles and DNA-marker data to improve biodiversity > conservation. The course will teach research approaches, monitoring, > data analyses, and interpretation (RADseq, amplicon-seq, targeted > capture, WGseq). The course will help bridge the gap between research > and management to improve conservation (e.g., Allendorf et al. 2022, > Chapter 24). This course is urgently needed and timely given the > extinction crisis and the recent Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity > Framework in which 196 parties committed to reporting the status of > genetic diversity for all species wild and domestic (Mastretta-Yates > et al. 2024; Hoben et al. 2024).  For details on ConGen-Africa: see > https://ift.tt/XkYw6iP > > Who should apply: Advanced Undergrads, M.S. & Ph.D. students, post-docs, > faculty, agency researchers, and population biologists. To maximize > benefits from days 3-5, attendees should have taken a course in population > genetics and population ecology - or understand most of Chapters 4-10 in > the book Allendorf et al. 2024). Participation on days 3-5 is limited > to ~30 people to allow efficient instruction with hands-on computer > exercises. > > Dates and Content: Monday - Friday, Dec. 9-13, 2024.  9 am to 4 > PM daily. The first two days include basic concepts (mechanisms of > evolutionary change) and applications of genetics for conservation. Days > 3-5 include hands-on data analysis and interpretation using > microsatellites, SNPs, and next-generation sequence datasets) using > popular programs like Structure, NeEstimator, GeneClass/RUBIAS, and > packages in Rstudio on days 4-5. > > You will learn (or review) the following including real-life examples > (as in the book Allendorf et al. 2022): > >  1.  mechanisms of evolutionary change: genetic drift, gene flow, >      selection, & mutation (days 1-2) >  2.  importance of testing for Hardy-Weinberg proportions and linkage >      disequilibrium (some basic knowledge of HW- and LD-testing is >      recommended mainly for days 3-5) >  3.  basic use of R (writing simple command line arguments to make >      graphs, and conduct statistical tests, including HW tests and PCAs >      for population structure assessment. We'll teach use of R and >      command line programs during an online Zoom lecture one week >      before the course. R is the most widely used software and language >      in statistics and biology and increasingly for population genetics >      (Pardis 2020; Jombart & Ahmed 2011; Kamvar et al. 2015, 2016; >      Kardos & Luikart 2021; Kardos et al. 2022; Hemstrom & Jones 2023; >      Zhang et al. 2023; Yang et al. 2023; Jenkins 2024; Bailey 2024). >  4.  Participants should have an advanced understanding of spoken and >      written English > > Field trips to Kruger National Park & Mabula Hornbill Sanctuary are > possible, including wildlife safari drives (TBA). > > Main Instructors: Gordon Luikart, Will Hemstrom, Other local and > international instructors to be announced > > > "Luikart, Gordon"

[blsm-m]

Environmentalists say biodiversity crisis requires urgent action Ottawa / Unceded Traditional Territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg Peoples Environmental lawyers and activists say the federal government's proposed new Natural Responsibility Law But they say it doesn't go far enough to ensure Canada meets its international obligations to halt and reverse nature loss. The proposed bill would affirm Canada's commitment to contribute to achieving the goals and objectives of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework agreed to by Canada and other signatories at the United Nations Conference on Biodiversity (COP15) in 2022. However, it would not codify these targets into law or require Canada to actually achieve them. "Canada played a leading role on the international stage by hosting COP15 and helped secure a global commitment to critical conservation goals," said Anna Johnston, staff attorney at the West Coast Environmental Law Association. "Now it's time to walk the talk and actually deliver on our lands and waters goals. This legislation is a good start, but it needs to be fleshed out." A new bill introduced in the House of Commons today would require the federal government to develop a plan for reaching the global targets and publish progress. But experts say that by not legally recognizing the global targets as Canadian targets and allowing officials to submit vague documents, the bill absolves Canada of responsibility for actually meeting its obligations. "Just like pouring a bucket of water on a burning house, Bill C-73 will do little to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030," said Rodrigo Estrada Patiño, program director at Greenpeace Canada. "The bill requires significant amendments to the current bill to actually achieve the goals and targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework, ensure they are met in whole-of-government decisions, and prioritize Indigenous rights and overall access to nature." Advocates are calling for the federal government to work with other parties to draft amendments that would strengthen the bill to ensure biodiversity plans and reports are credible, laws and actions respect Indigenous rights and support Indigenous-led efforts, and federal decision-makers cannot undermine Canada's ability to protect nature. "No country has fully met the targets under any international agreement to date," said Josh Ginsburg, director of the Ecojustice Environmental Law Clinic at the University of Ottawa. "This bill shows the government is serious about reversing this trend and acting on behalf of nature, but without stronger measures, success is not assured. The bill should mandate measurable domestic targets that set out what Canada must achieve and when. We need specific, legally enforceable reporting standards to deliver results for nature." -30- For further information, please contact: Anna Johnston | Staff Attorney at West Coast Environmental Law604-340-2304, [email protected] Marie-Christine Fisset | Media Head, Greenpeace Canada514 972-6316, [email protected] Josh Ginsburg | Ecojustice Attorney613-876-1935, [email protected]

[conscorridor]

What does a 3D approach to ocean conservation look like? New research finds that deep ocean ecosystems are underrepresented in marine conservation 🌊

[govindhtech]

Tech4Nature Summit: Future Conservation Through Technology

Phase 2 of the Tech4Nature worldwide cooperation began on June 5, when Huawei and the International Union for protection of environmental (IUCN) co-hosted the 2024 Tech4Nature Summit to further encourage innovation in environmental protection.

Tech4Nature is a collaborative effort between the two organisations to provide technological solutions for Protected and Conserved Areas (PCA) worldwide. It is in line with Huawei��s TECH4ALL project and the IUCN Green List. Additionally, this is the first time that Huawei and IUCN have joined together in a significant way to support the fields of information and communication technology (ICT) and environmental protection.

“While the natural world faces unprecedented challenges, technology and digital solutions can help save Tech4Nature planet’s biodiversity. For this reason, IUCN and Huawei formed the Tech4Nature alliance,” stated IUCN Director General Dr. Grethel Aguilar. “I am proud to see this partnership moving to the next phase, helping all stakeholders to unite for nature and build a better future.”

“Tao Jingwen, a board member and member of the Huawei Committee on Sustainability, stated that Huawei is prepared to continually explore environment and nature protection scenarios, develop appropriate digital technologies to address environmental protection challenges, and collaboratively build a more equitable and sustainable digital world as a technical partner of governments, customers, and environmental protection agencies. Huawei applies the S.H.A.R.E. principle and four sustainable development strategies:

They will collaborate with industry chain partners to create a thriving and healthy business ecosystem (Harmony), maximise accessibility and equality through digital inclusion (TECH4ALL), and create safe and dependable ICT infrastructure and services to protect the digital world (Reliability) in order to ensure a sustainable digital future.They can jointly achieve social growth and ecological balance (environment) through scientific and technological innovation.”

Phase 1 of Tech4Nature

Phase 1 of Tech4Nature was implemented in five PCAs in China, Mauritius, Mexico, Spain, and Switzerland between 2020 and 2023. Notable accomplishments consist of:

Acoustic as monitoring identifies HAINAN gibbons, the world’s rarest ape, to help repopulate them. There are presently only 37 people left.

In Mexico, jaguars are identified and tracked using AI pattern recognition; last year, the presence of seven individuals in Dzilam State Reserve was confirmed for the first time.

Cutting-edge platforms for real-time observation and tracking of community-run coral reef conservation and restoration initiatives in Mauritius; 25,000 healthy coral pieces have already been restored to portions of the Indian Ocean reef that have been deteriorated.

Phase 2 of Tech4Nature

The flagship six initiatives in China, Mexico, Spain, Brazil, Kenya, and Turkey will get support from Tech4Nature Phase 2 (2023–2026). After Huawei and the IUCN announced in October 2023 that they will launch Phase 2, the summit signified the official start of these six projects.

The development of state-of-the-art technological solutions to meet the 30×30 target and Target 4 on preventing extinction as outlined in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) is another commitment made by Huawei and IUCN in Phase 2. Through the involvement of more individuals, partners, and nations, this phase will also increase collaboration between the technology and nature conservation sectors.

Practitioners of conservation, scholars, representatives of the government and business sector, and members of the larger Tech4Nature community all attended the three-day summit.

Workshops were organised to increase partner capacity, investigate strategies for attaining just and efficient conservation through the IUCN Green List, talk about ethical issues and offer implementation advice, and facilitate peer-to-peer learning and collaboration.

Partnership for their Planet, the main magazine of Tech4Nature, was also introduced by the partners. The report, which is available for download on the Tech4Nature website, emphasises the critical role that innovative technology solutions play in addressing contemporary conservation issues.

With Phase 2 of the Tech4Nature Summit starting in June 2024, it appears to be a forward-thinking project. Here are a few potential future scenarios:

Technological advancements in conservation: They anticipate seeing more research and development go into cutting-edge solutions like artificial intelligence (AI) for drone patrols, remote data collecting in protected areas, and species monitoring.

Expanding prosperous initiatives: The conference showcased six initiatives across multiple nations. These initiatives may grow and become models for other areas in the future.

Enhanced Cooperation: The Tech4Nature programme places a strong emphasis on cooperation between tech companies and environmental organisations. Future growth could see more partners and skills added to this.

Meeting Global Biodiversity Goals: The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) was adhered to by the summit. The 30×30 aim, which calls for saving 30% of the globe by 2030, and averting extinction might be greatly aided by Tech4Nature‘s efforts.

All things considered, the Tech4Nature Summit clears the path for a time when technology will be essential to preserving the biodiversity of Tech4Nature world.

The Tech4Nature Summit, which Huawei and IUCN co-hosted and ended recently, represents a step in the right direction towards using technology to save wildlife. This is how things might develop in the future:

Tech4Nature future

Enhanced Conservation Efforts

Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered monitoring systems can more efficiently track the movements of wildlife, illicit activity, and environmental changes. Better protection of threatened species and their habitats may result from this.

Extending Reach

Real-time data cloud sharing and coordinated responses to threats can be facilitated by technological solutions that span geographical distances across conservation zones.

Citizen science

Easy-to-use apps and web-based resources can enable regular people to take part in data gathering and conservation initiatives.

Sustainable Practices

By optimising resource management in protected areas, technological developments can encourage actions that reduce human impact.

Changing Collaborations

The Tech4Nature programme is an example of how tech companies and environmental organisations can work together. It’s likely that this pattern will carry on, encouraging more innovation.

Read more on Govindhtech.com

[francesca925]

Blog 1：Initial ideas and research

The words "Protecting Biodiversity" have always been around me growing up, from school - adverts - news - social media, but I have never really looked into what biodiversity is, how to deal with the decline of biodiversity and how to protect it; Firstly, I went through the introductory section of the course on Moodle and the examples of previous students' work many times, but I hadn't formed any initial ideas about artefacts yet; for the scavenger hunt in the first lesson, I went to Victoria Park near my flat and photographed some small squirrels and this big, strange tree; I thought about what would be closer to the words "biology", "creativity" and "idea", but didn't come up with any great ideas. (I'd like to thank ECTIP for this course, it's been a long time since I've been able to look at nature, animals and plants so closely, and it's a great feeling!)

Figure 1&2: Photographed in person at Victoria Park

I decided to look for videos on social media and video sites with the keyword "biodiversity conservation" in order to find some inspiration; I watched 3-4 documentaries and feature videos to gain a better understanding of the seriousness of the issue of biodiversity conservation today. I think that if I want to make truly beneficial and creative artefacts I need to be more aware of the theoretical issues surrounding biodiversity and the specific threats we are facing, so I have created the following mind map:

　Figure 3: The mind map I made in "X-Mind".

In December 2022, a global conference was held in Montreal, Canada, to adopt a new framework for the conservation of the world's biodiversity called the Harmony with Nature 2050 Vision. The framework sets out an ambitious plan for action to transform the world's relationship with biodiversity and ensure that the shared vision of Harmony with Nature is achieved by 2050.

The range of information in the link tells us that biodiversity issues are cross-cutting challenges that can be solved independently by more than just governments or environmental authorities. According to a 2019 international scientific report, about 1 million plant and animal species are at risk of extinction globally. As temperatures continue to rise, ecosystems suffer major impacts: a temperature rise of 1.1 degrees Celsius has already altered marine, terrestrial, and freshwater ecosystems around the globe, while an increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius could lead to the disappearance of 70 percent of coral reefs. If temperatures rise to 2 degrees Celsius, we could face the total collapse of many more ecosystems. These data underscore the need for cross-sectoral and international cooperation to protect our natural environment."