Global leaders meet to discuss declining biodiversity across the planet at COP15 this December, but is time running out? Asks NWT Reserves Officer Robert Morgan.
This November saw the COP27 conference taking place in Egypt. The event was the 27th Convention of Parties, bringing together representatives from all the countries that have signed the United Nations Climate Change Framework. The closing message to delegates was that the window of opportunity to take action is closing fast. Governments from all the major industrial countries agreed that CO2 emissions needed to be reduced by at least 45% by 2030, and be at net-zero by 2050 to be on track for limiting global warming to 1.5 centigrade by the end of the century.
Along with climate change, there are several other UN environmental Convention of Parties conferences; held every two years they range from deforestation and desertification to sustainable development.
Between 7th and 19th of December, in Montreal, global leaders will meet once again at COP15, this time to discuss the loss of biodiversity across our planet. Within the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity collapse and pollution, it is the astonishingly rapid decline of the varieties of life on Earth that seems to draw least attention from both world leaders and reporting media.
Although there are a few eminent people still challenging climate change science, the biodiversity emergency is indisputable. Evidence from all around the world, both on land and in the oceans, is that plant and animal populations are in free-fall. The recently released Living Planet Report, compiled by the WWF and Zoological Society of London (ZSL), states that the Earth’s wildlife populations have plunged by an average of 69% since 1970. Worryingly, just four years ago the losses stood at 60%. Some regions of South and Central America have seen 94% declines in wild species. The reports’ authors are now urging world leaders at the COP15 biodiversity summit to reach for more ambitious targets of recovery.
Red kite / 2020 Vision
These figures have sparked realistic fears that planet Earth is entering its sixth mass extinction and, like the meteor that struck 66 million years ago, it will have catastrophic consequences for the natural world - of which, like it or not, we are part. The warnings have been there for some time, and whilst conservationists have attempted to stem the tide, the battle is currently being lost. Even here in the UK, already recognised as Europe’s most nature depleted country, we are seeing unprecedented declines in wildlife. The UK was already at a low starting point in the mid-20th century and since then we have lost a further 50% of our biological richness. In my own lifetime Norfolk has lost iconic species such as the large copper butterfly and red-backed shrike.
However, there is still reason to hope. There have been some outstanding wildlife conservation successes in my lifetime. Red kite can be seen in the skies above most regions of Britain, otters are back in our rivers and crane bugle once again over our fens and marshes. It seems amazingly rapid, and a clear indication that given the will, we can return these creatures back to our countryside.
Extinctions, or the gradual demise of populations to a fraction of their former strength, have seemed deceptively slow due to the steady gradient of their decline. This is particularly true in the case of the large-scale disappearance of insects. The term ‘Shifting Baseline Syndrome’ refers to the unintentional acceptance of the gradual change of the normal condition of the natural world, and in particular the population of a species. A younger generation, principally due to a lack of memory or knowledge of a past condition, may accept a norm that would have been very different from a previous generation’s experience. The house sparrow is a good example. On a single day in 1929 2,603 sparrows were counted in London’s Kensington Park, whereas only eight were counted in 2001 - but it is still considered a common bird.
Cranes / 2020 Vision
So, what is biodiversity and why should we care about it? Biodiversity is a measure of how many original and naturally occurring forms of life live in an ecosystem, be it the deep sea, Arctic tundra or Norfolk Broads. It is also a measure of the diversity of genes within species, and the connections between species and their ecosystems; everything from bacteria in your gut to mega-fauna on the plains of Africa. More species equals more resilience and an increased ability to cope with change. In turn this contributes to a sustainable planet, and we are only scratching the surface in relation to our understanding of the interconnectivity of species that maintain healthy soil, water and air.
Not only is it morally right for us to both stop and reverse species decline, no one in their right mind would want to live on a planet where the few plants and animals left are only there to provide us with food and resources.
The United Nations’ Biodiversity Framework was signed by 150 government leaders at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, and formed the UN Environment Programme, an attempt to set a path for rebuilding the biodiversity upon which we all rely. This year’s COP15 will include 21 action targets for 2030 which include: Conservation of 30 percent of land and sea areas globally, restoration of freshwater and marine eco-systems, reduction of non-native invasive species, reduction of pesticides and the elimination of plastic waste. It is also exploring nature-based solutions to global climate change. Of course, nature is not divided by man-made borders and all this will only be possible with the cooperation from leaders across the globe.
With declines in the natural world being incremental and generational, environmentalists often appear alarmist when they say we are running out of time, but a metaphorical meteor is heading towards Earth and current trends suggest we have little mor than a decade to turn it around.
With continued changes within the UK’s leadership, big decisions on the table that will affect the fortunes of our wildlife, and important events such as COP15 around the corner, it’s more important than ever that our MPs understand the value we place on wildlife and a healthy natural world.
We’re inviting you to send your MP a postcard with a personal message. It’ll just take a few clicks of a button! To find out more, visit:
www.wildlifetrusts.org/defend-nature
Header image / 2020 Vision