MONTREAL: Countries are meeting on Tuesday December 6 for a key UN nature conference in Montreal, aiming to broker a new global agreement to protect what's left of Earth's wildlife and natural spaces.
In 2030, negotiations hope that the COP 15 will yield a deal that ensures more nature- animals, plants, and healthy ecosystems than what exists now. How progress is measured and pursued will need to be agreed by all 196 governments under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity CBD. How do you translate ''nature positive' into an actual term we can measure? One of the co-chairs of the group that was responsible for drafting the agreement, Basile van Havre said. More than 10,000 people, including government officials, scientists, and activists, were expected to attend the summit starting on Wednesday and running through December 19.
The talks followed years of negotiations and calls by environmentalists and businesses to protect natural resources and halt what scientists have labeled the sixth mass extinction.
More than 1 million species are threatened with extinction, vanishing at a rate not seen in 10 million years. According to a 2022 UN Global Land Outlook assessment, 40 per cent of Earth's land surfaces are considered degraded.
Eva Zabey, Executive Director of Business for Nature, said that governments need to adopt a clear and urgent mission to reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.
Like many other campaigners, Zabey called for an ambitious, clear and enforceable international agreement similar to the Paris Agreement on climate change. We can't afford to squander what could be a historic moment in Montreal.