1. A goal to protect 30% of land and oceans by 2030
The main measure of the text, the goal of protected areas, has been the subject of debate over the past two weeks. The parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) finally agreed to protect 30% of land, inland water, and coastal and marine areas.
The target is said to be the biodiversity equivalent of the climate change target of the Paris Agreement, which calls for limiting global warming to 1.5°C.
The text calls for greater protection of the areas most sensitive to biodiversity and ecologically representative, depending on the ecosystem services they provide. It also recognizes the importance of ecological connectedness.
Currently, 17% of land and 8% of seas are protected worldwide.
The framework also includes another target that aims to restore 30% of terrestrial and marine ecosystems.
Why is it the Kunming-Montreal World Framework?
Originally, the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity was to be held in Kunming, China. However, the Chinese government’s zero-COVID policy at the time made it impossible to hold this conference in person. At that time, the UN decided to hold COP15 in Montreal, with a Chinese chair of the conference and the title of a global framework, referring to both the original host city and the current host city.
2. A compromise to make money available to less prosperous countries
The question of the funding that countries of the North should make available to countries of the South to help them protect biodiversity – and the mechanisms that need to be implemented to channel the financial flows as quickly as possible – has emerged as a Point of contention exposed between the parties.
Since the first week of COP15, dozens of nations including Brazil, India, Indonesia and several African countries have called on rich countries to provide at least $100 billion a year in financial aid to support them.
The global framework must guarantee access to financial resources, particularly for developing countries, the 46 least developed countries recognized by the UN, small island states and countries in transition. The joint mobilization effort should aim to gradually close the $700 billion a year funding gap for biodiversity, it said.
The creation of a new biodiversity fund for the less affluent countries was far from unanimous, as some European Union countries, and Canada in particular, preferred to favor existing mechanisms to scale up and accelerate funding.
In the final version of the text, the Chinese Presidency has compromised to call for the establishment of a Biodiversity Trust Fund, funded not only by states but also by private sector actors and philanthropic initiatives. Under Goal 19, parties must mobilize $200 billion by 2030.
This money would be redistributed through an already established facility, namely the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
The latter has been repeatedly criticized by the countries of the South, who accused him of poor management. However, in a separate framework document focusing on the implementation of resource mobilization, the COP15 Presidency identified a number of actions to improve the effectiveness of the GEF.
Environmentally harmful subsidies of at least 500 billion US dollars per year are also to be phased out by 2030. Instead, these sums should flow into projects to protect biodiversity, it is said.
Delegates celebrate historic agreement at COP15 in Montreal.
Photo: Getty Images / ANDREJ IVANOV
3. Reducing the risks associated with pesticides
One of the text’s 23 goals calls for halving the risk from pesticides and hazardous chemicals, while respecting food security and livelihoods.
The decision to tackle the risks posed by the use of these substances, rather than the widespread crowd that initially raised eyebrows, can be explained by the fact that risk reduction necessarily means reducing the use of pesticides. However, the converse is not necessarily true. Even a small amount of pesticide can be very dangerous.
The text thus addresses pollution, which is one of the top five factors responsible for the loss of biodiversity in the world. By 2030, pollution risks and their impacts are to be reduced to a level that is not harmful to biodiversity. The measures implemented by the parties should also lead to the elimination of environmental pollution caused by plastic.
4. Recognition of the rights of indigenous peoples
The goals set out in the Global Biodiversity Framework recognize the role and contribution of indigenous peoples and local communities as stewards of biodiversity.
In addition to guaranteeing their rights, the implementation of the framework must be carried out with their free, prior and informed consent and with respect for their traditional knowledge, values and beliefs.
The text calls for the sustainable use of species to prevent overexploitation and minimize impacts on populations, while respecting and protecting the traditional practices of indigenous nations and local communities.
While Indigenous participants welcomed the attention and recognition they received at COP15, they lamented that they were not given more weight.
5. An agreement reached despite the disagreement among African countries
The DRC, which occupied ministers behind closed doors after calling for an increase in the proposed appropriations, bluntly expressed its opposition at the start of the plenary session. An opposition that the President of COP15, Chinese Environment Minister Huang Runqiu, quickly swept aside by reaffirming his desire to formalize the text.
As a gesture of solidarity, Cameroon condemned a forced passage which it says constitutes a breach of protocol or even fraud. An accusation that is immediately rejected by the CBD’s legal adviser.
For its part, Uganda disapproved of the Chinese presidency’s actions, calling it a coup d’état. According to the representative of the Ugandan delegation, the parties did not have enough time to analyze the texts submitted on Sunday.
Although Namibia spoke out in favor of the global framework, its chief negotiator, Pierre Du Plessis, condemned the influence of colonialism and recalled that the systemic trauma suffered by the countries of the African continent had undermined the relationship between humans and nature. He reminded that the path that countries will take after the adoption of the global framework will be fraught with pitfalls.
In collaboration with Elisa Serret