Nature conservation is climate protection and climate protection is nature conservation
At the opening of the 9th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 9) in Bonn today, Federal Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel stressed the link between the loss of biological diversity and global climate change. "Climate change and the loss of biological diversity are the two most alarming challenges on the global agenda", stated Minister Gabriel, while emphasising the link between the two. "Nature conservation is climate protection and climate protection is nature conservation." Minister Gabriel called on the approx. 6000 participants to work constructively together. "We have to show that we are serious about our jointly agreed target of making significant progress in conserving biological diversity by 2010." With the opening of the meeting, Germany took over the Chair of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity from Brazil for the next two years.
In 2002 in Johannesburg the world community agreed to significantly reduce the loss of biological diversity by 2010. "The truth today in 2008 is that we are still on the wrong track", noted Minister Gabriel. Sixteen years after the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the Convention on Biological Diversity has reached a crossroads. "We have to answer the inconvenient question: Do we continue to produce huge amounts of paper with little content or do we start to take our responsibility seriously?" Destroying the world’s biological richness is not only a concern for romantic conservationists. "Above all it affects the lives of the poorest. If, as is feared, global fish stocks collapse, this would rob one billion people of their only protein source."
Minister Gabriel stressed that COP 9 can only adopt unanimous decisions. "We will only achieve unanimous decisions if we listen to each other, if we are flexible and if we acknowledge the successes of others rather than merely pointing out deficits." He also stressed the huge scale of the task ahead: "Just as it is extremely difficult in my country to organise our strong chemicals, energy and automobile industries in a way that does not overstep ecological boundaries for climate protection in particular, it is also difficult for other countries to change a development model that for decades has been based on converting forests or other ecosystems into agricultural land. To manage all this, environment ministers all over the world need a great deal of support in addition to their own personal commitment. Support from heads of state and government and other ministers, but above all from the public."
Minister Gabriel highlighted progress on access and benefit sharing, the so-called ABS regime, as one of the key goals of the meeting. "Developing countries rightly describe it as biopiracy when industrialised countries help themselves to genetic resources in rainforests, produce medicines from these resources, but do not pay a single cent back in return. However, the financial volume is not even the priority aspect here. It is a matter of principle. The industrialised world has to recognise that the yields from biological resources have to be shared with those who have safeguarded them to this day for mankind."
Another priority goal Minister Gabriel highlighted is improving the financing of global biodiversity conservation. "It is too easy to simply urge people in developing countries to stop clear cutting tropical rainforests." Often these people have no other alternative if they are to survive. "It is not difficult to say what is needed to protect biodiversity. It is also not difficult to say what is needed to develop regional economies. The difficult thing is to bring these two demands together." Minister Gabriel called on the delegates to adopt a strategy for mobilising new sources of financing. "Germany has already taken action. From 2008, a share of the revenues from the auctioning of CO2 allowances - starting with 40 million euro per year - will be used for the conservation of ecosystems such as forests, bogs and savannas and for adapting habitats to climate change."
In addition to government delegates, COP 9 will also be attended by representatives of environmental NGOs, development organisations and scientific institutes. Around 4000 delegates and observers from 190 countries participated in the last meeting in Brazil in 2006. More than 6000 participants are expected in Bonn, including 600 journalists from all over the world.
The concert LIVE NATURE, taking place from 6 pm this evening at the Museumsmeile in Bonn, offers musical highlights from the five continents. LIVE NATURE reflects in musical terms the motto of the UN Conference on Biological Diversity 2008 - "One Nature, One World, Our Future". The musicians represent a small section of the world's cultural diversity, which is just as important for a common, socially equitable and ecologically sustainable future as biodiversity conservation. The following acts will be performing: Bob Geldof from Ireland, Hugh Masekela from South Africa, Daniela Mercury from Brazil, Moana & the Tribe from New Zealand, Gocoo & GoRo from Japan.