So far no real change detectable
Biodiversity and thus the wealth of our planet continue to disappear at an alarming rate. This is confirmed by a UN report, the German version of which was presented in Bonn today. The target set by heads of state and government at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002 to significantly reduce the loss of global biodiversity by 2010 has not been reached.
Natural habitats are shrinking in most parts of the world, although the loss rate of tropical forests and mangroves in some regions has at least been reduced. Freshwater habitats, arctic seas, salt marshes, coral reefs, seagrass beds and mussel beds suffer from severely deterioriating conditions. Estimates indicate that almost one quarter of all plant species is threatened with extinction. Between 1970 and 2006, populations of vertebrates decreased by a third on average. The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which published the report, derived these results from the assessment of the national biodiversity reports, which are regularly submitted by the Parties to the Convention.
One reason for the continued biodiversity loss is the fact that up to now questions of biodiversity have not been sufficiently integrated into comprehensive political action, strategies and programmes. In addition, the report notes that no real action is being taken to combat the main reasons for biodiversity loss, i.e. destruction and overexploitation of habitats and species, environmental pollution, invasive species and climate change.
The UN experts furthermore warn that biodiversity loss also means losing out on the services provided by nature. Tropical coral reefs, for example, are threatened with extinction by over-acidification of the seas, rising water temperature, overexploitation and pollution. This in turn threatens the livelihood and secure food supply of several million people.
However, the report also demonstrates that such effects can be avoided if the international community takes rapid and effective action to protect biodiversity and promote its sustainable use. Partical successes achieved so far show that with targeted funding and political will it is possible to reduce biodiversity loss.
The original English report will be presented in Nairobi today by Ahmed Djoghlaf, the Executive Director of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity at the opening of the 14th Meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) which assembles around 1000 scientists, political decision-makers and representatives of nature protection associations. This meeting is an important intermediate step in the negotiating process towards the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD in Japan in October 2010. COP 10 will focus on the implementation of the decisions taken at COP 9 which took place in May 2008 under German presidency. In parallel to the presentation of the original English version of the report in Nairobi, the Secretariat of the Convention will present the German version at the UN city of Bonn.