Ecuador presented a ten-point plan to finance biodiversity at COP 15

The 15th Conference of the Parties (COP 15) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) ended, which took place in Montreal, Canada, in which 196 countries came together to work on an agreement to stop and reverse the loss of biodiversity and the commitment, by 2030, that 30% of terrestrial, inland, coastal and marine areas be conserved and effectively managed through systems of protected areas and other conservation measures.

Ecuador, as part of this meeting, entered the negotiation and dialogue table, showing its actions and proposals such as the initiative A 10-Point Plan to Finance Biodiversity, which proposes ten actions that define, according to the Government, a clear path to close the biodiversity financing gap and have enough funds for the protection of nature and reverse its loss.

Guillermo Lasso, president of Ecuador, pointed out that “the world must demonstrate that there is not only a political will, but also that of various sectors to protect and regenerate our nature. Many countries, multilateral organizations, governments, financial institutions, the private sector, philanthropists and civil society are joining the protection of biodiversity, in order to obtain healthy and prosperous societies offering a suitable home for the inhabitants of planet Earth. ”.

This group of leaders have the support of more than 40 countries from six continents that join collective efforts in the definition and approach of priorities and interests to finance biodiversity and build an understanding to act during 2030. Ecuador works to face this gap, as it seeks to have healthy, prosperous societies and protect natural systems in the long term.

For the Minister of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition, Gustavo Manrique, “Ecuador, as one of the 20 most megadiverse countries on the planet, was among the first to sign the Convention on Biological Diversity, in 1993.

Since then there have been 30 years of great efforts to achieve the three objectives of the Agreement in a balanced way. Regarding the conservation of biodiversity, I am pleased to highlight that our country met the Aichi 11 goal by preserving a significant amount of terrestrial and marine areas in the agreed time, increasing the extension of the national territory by 42%. These actions have promoted an economy around conservation that is articulated with the generation of employment and the stability of the population”.

Within the framework of this event, the negotiated agreements included the urgent mobilization of economic resources by the end of this decade. At least 200,000 million dollars a year in national and international financing (from public and private sources) related to biodiversity, in addition, to increase international cooperation from developed countries to developing countries, up to at least 20,000 million of dollars per year by 2025 and up to 30,000 million by 2030.

Other goals established in the agreements to combat the loss of biodiversity were:

• Phase out or reform subsidies that harm biodiversity by at least $500 billion each year by 2030.

•Cut global food waste in half and significantly reduce overconsumption and waste generation.

•Cut in half both excess nutrients and the overall risk posed by pesticides and highly hazardous chemicals.

•To fully restore (or be in the process of achieving) 30% of the planet’s degraded terrestrial, continental, and coastal and marine ecosystems.

•Prevent the introduction of priority invasive alien species and reduce by at least half the introduction and establishment of new invasive alien species. And eradicate or control them on the islands and other priority sites.

The global framework adopted by the member countries of the COP 15 CBD will face the disappearance of the planet’s species and therefore, that of human beings. One of the objectives is to preserve the chain of life and take urgent measures in the face of the disappearance of nature. We only have to “live in harmony with biodiversity”, through the effort to comply with the commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Post 2020 Global Framework. (I)