New global biodiversity deal - talks underway

2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity and the year when the current global target for biodiversity set in 2002 expires.

This week, representatives from over 50 countries are meeting in London to discuss the current global biodiversity status as well as trends, scenarios and importantly, how we quantify the economic value of biodiversity.

The conference is being jointly hosted by the UK and Brazil in preparation for October’s ‘Conference of the Parties’ (COP10) in Nagoya, Japan where the new global biodiversity target will be agreed.

Secretary of State for the Environment Hilary Benn opened the conference today, saying:

“2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity and we all need to recognise the importance of our fragile eco-systems. Many of the countries represented here share the most diverse eco-systems on the planet and their involvement is vital to achieving the targets we’ll set ourselves later in the year.

“A real challenge is for all countries to realise the true economic value of biodiversity and the financial costs we will face if we continue to destroy and undervalue our natural resources. The protection and restoration of ecosystems is a sensible and cost-effective investment in this planet’s economic survival and growth.”

The world has seen considerable biodiversity loss and many ecosystems are being irreversibly altered by climate change and human activity. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment told us that 60% of our ecosystems are being degraded or used unsustainably. For example, experts believe that 19% of the world's coral reefs have been lost since 1950 and 58% of the remaining corals are threatened by human activity. In South East Asia, 80% of corals are under medium to high threat; these reefs are also the richest in biodiversity.

We can all play our part in doing what we can to prevent further damage.

22 January 2010