Biodiversity is the cornerstone of human well-being, a healthy planet, and economic prosperity thus the crucial role of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. It is crucial for food, medicine, energy, clean air and water, protection from natural disasters, recreation, and cultural inspiration. Biodiversity supports all life systems on Earth, and its preservation is essential for our survival and quality of life.
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework aims to address the alarming findings of the Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the fifth edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook, and numerous other scientific reports. These documents highlight the unprecedented rate at which biodiversity is deteriorating worldwide, despite ongoing efforts.
The IPBES global assessment report reveals that around 25% of species in assessed animal and plant groups are threatened with extinction, suggesting that approximately 1 million species face extinction within decades unless action is taken.
The current rate of species extinction is tens to hundreds of times higher than the average over the past 10 million years. The biosphere, which humanity depends on, is being altered to an unparalleled degree across all spatial scales. Biodiversity is declining faster than at any time in human history.
However, it is possible to conserve, restore, and use nature sustainably while simultaneously meeting other global societal goals through urgent and concerted efforts fostering transformative change. The primary drivers of biodiversity loss include changes in land and sea use, direct exploitation of organisms, climate change, pollution, and the invasion of alien species.
These drivers stem from an array of underlying social values and behaviors, with rates of change varying among regions and countries.
A Vision for 2050
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, building on the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020, its achievements, gaps, and lessons learned, sets an ambitious plan for transforming our societies’ relationship with biodiversity by 2030. This plan aligns with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals, aiming to fulfill the shared vision of living in harmony with nature by 2050.
The Framework outlines four long-term goals for 2050 related to the 2050 Vision for biodiversity:
Goal A
– Maintain, enhance, or restore the integrity, connectivity, and resilience of all ecosystems, substantially increasing the area of natural ecosystems by 2050.
– Halt human-induced extinction of known threatened species and reduce the extinction rate and risk of all species tenfold by 2050.
– Increase the abundance of native wild species to healthy and resilient levels.
– Maintain the genetic diversity within populations of wild and domesticated species, safeguarding their adaptive potential.
Goal B
– Sustainably use and manage biodiversity and value, maintain, and enhance nature’s contributions to people, including ecosystem functions and services. Restore those currently in decline, supporting sustainable development for present and future generations by 2050.
Goal C
– Ensure fair and equitable sharing of the monetary and non-monetary benefits from the utilization of genetic resources and traditional knowledge associated with them. Substantially increase these benefits by 2050, particularly for indigenous peoples and local communities, contributing to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
Goal D
– Secure adequate means of implementation, including financial resources, capacity-building, technical and scientific cooperation, and access to and transfer of technology. Ensure these resources are equitably accessible to all Parties, especially developing countries, the least developed countries, small island developing States, and countries with economies in transition. Progressively close the biodiversity finance gap of $700 billion per year and align financial flows with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the 2050 Vision for biodiversity.
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework represents a global commitment to preserving our planet’s biodiversity. Through collective and transformative action, we can ensure a sustainable future where humanity lives in harmony with nature.
