UN seals historic treaty to protect threatened ecosystems
by Karl Malakunas
NAGOYA, Japan, Oct 30, (AFP) - A historic global treaty to protect
the world’s forests, coral reefs and other threatened ecosystems within
10 years was sealed at a UN summit on Saturday.
Rich and poor nations agreed to take “effective and urgent” action to
curb the destruction of nature in an effort to halt the loss of the
world’s biodiversity on which human survival depends.
Delegates from 193 countries committed to key goals by 2020 such as
curbing pollution, protecting forests and coral reefs, setting aside
areas of land and water for conservation, and managing fisheries
sustainably.
“This is a day to celebrate,” UN Environment Programme chief Achim
Steiner said straight after the accord was struck early on Saturday
morning following nearly two weeks of tense talks in the central
Japanese city of Nagoya.
Delegates and green groups also said the accord offered hope that the
United Nations could help to solve the planet’s many environmental
problems, particularly after the failure of climate change talks in
Copenhagen last year.One of the most significant elements of the accord
was a commitment to protect 17 percent of land and 10 percent of oceans
so that biodiversity there could thrive.
Currently only 13 percent of land and one percent of oceans are
protected.
Nevertheless, Greenpeace expressed disappointment at the new targets,
which delegates said were lowered on the insistence of China and some
other developing countries.
Greenpeace had been pushing for 20 percent of oceans to be conserved,
as a step towards an eventual target of 40-percent preservation.
There were other limitations to the Nagoya pact — including that the
United States was not a signatory as it is one of the few countries not
to have ratified the UN’s Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
But while some green groups said the 20-point plan was not as
ambitious as hoped, most still welcomed it as a historic step towards
united global action in tackling biodiversity problems and raising
awareness about the issue.
“Governments have sent a strong message that protecting the health of
the planet has a place in international politics and countries are ready
to join forces to save life on Earth,” WWF International director
general Jim Leape said.
Conservation International president Russ Mittermeier was even more
upbeat, saying: “This conference must be viewed as a success and a major
global achievement.”
The accord was clinched after a last-minute breakthrough on an
18-year stand-off over “fairly” sharing the benefits and knowledge of
genetic resource riches that are found mostly in developing countries.
Brazil, home to much of the Amazon basin and its global treasure
trove of resources, had insisted throughout the summit that it would not
agree to the 20-point strategic plan unless there was also a deal on
genetic riches.
Brazil and other developing countries argued powerful nations and
companies should not be allowed to freely take genetic resources such as
wild plants to make medicines, cosmetics and other products for huge
profits.
They had been battling developed countries — where most of the drug
and other companies that enjoy the benefits of genetic resources are
based — over the issue since the CBD was formed at the Rio de Janeiro
Earth Summit in 1992.
The European Union led developed nations in finally agreeing to the
so-called Access and Benefits Sharing Protocol to ensure success on the
20-point strategic plan.
The legally binding protocol will ensure countries with genetic
resources enjoy some of the profits of the assets’ commercial
development.
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