Negotiators reached a historic deal at a UN biodiversity conference overnight that would represent the most significant effort to protect the world’s lands and oceans and provide critical financing to save biodiversity in the developing world.
The global framework comes on the day the United Nations Biodiversity Conference, or COP15, is set to end in Montreal.
China, which holds the presidency at this conference, released a new draft yesterday that gave the sometimes contentious talks much-needed momentum.
"We have in our hands a package which I think can guide us as we all work together to halt and reverse biodiversity loss and put biodiversity on the path to recovery for the benefit of all people in the world,” Chinese Environment Minister Huang Runqiu told delegates before the package was adopted to rapturous applause just before dawn (local time).
"We can be truly proud."
The most significant part of the agreement is a commitment to protect 30% of land and water considered important for biodiversity by 2030, known as 30 by 30. Currently, 17% of terrestrial and 10% of marine areas are protected.
Back in New Zealand, the Green Party welcomed the deal.
"This is an important moment for nature and must be followed with immediate action to protect our forests, rivers and oceans for future generations," party co-leader and Climate Change Minister James Shaw said.
"The new agreement comes as biodiversity is declining worldwide at rates never seen before - and while it marks a turning point for nature, it is only the beginning of the work that needs to be done.
"Exactly as it is with the climate, the agreement will only ever be as good as its implementation - and this new agreement has left the most crucial work for nature protection as homework for governments.
"Even though more than 30% of our land in Aotearoa is protected as part of the conservation estate, nearly 4000 native plants and animals are at risk of extinction. When it comes to the oceans, less than 1% is under any sort of protection."
The deal also calls for raising US$200 billion by 2030 for biodiversity from a range of sources and working to phase out or reform subsidies that could provide another US$500 billion for nature.
As part of the financing package, the framework asks for increasing to at least US$20 billion annually by 2025 the money that goes to poor countries. That number would increase to US$30 billion each year by 2030.
Financing emerged late in the talks and risked derailing an agreement. Several African countries held up the final deal for almost nine hours. They wanted the creation of a new fund for biodiversity but agreed to the creation of one under the pre-existing Global Environmental Facility.
Then as the agreement was about to be adopted, Congo stood up and said it opposed the deal because it didn’t set up that special biodiversity fund to provide developing countries with US$100 billion by 2030.
Huang swept aside the opposition and the documents that make up the framework were adopted. The convention’s legal expert ruled Congo never formally objected to the document.
Several other African countries, including Cameroon and Uganda, sided to no avail with Congo and said they would lodge a complaint.
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