TITLE: An Urgent Call To Save Trees Emerges From The Biodiversity COP16
https://www.forbes.com/sites/simithambi/2024/10/29/an-urgent-call-to-save-trees-emerges-from-cop16-on-biodiversity/
EXCERPTS: More than one in three tree species worldwide are facing extinction, according to an update from the International Union for Conservation of Nature released yesterday at COP16. For the first time, the update includes a global assessment of the world's trees, which involves input from over 1,000 experts worldwide. Widely known as the red list, this is one of the world's most comprehensive information sources on the global extinction risk status of animal, fungus, and plant species.
The timing to make the point of extinction is perfect. World leaders from over 190 countries are gathered in Colombia to discuss biodiversity at the sixteenth United Nations Conference on Biodiversity, COP 16, which will address many important issues, including the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework, a landmark plan to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity by 2030, adopted at COP15 in Canada. The latest update of the Red List becomes crucial against this background, highlighting the need to intensify action to conserve nature and biodiversity.
The red list now includes 166,061 species, of which 46,337 are threatened. In an earlier update of the list released earlier this year, 163,040 species were assessed. The goal is to increase the number of species covered by 100,000 to reach 260,000 by 2030. The list includes trees, animals, and birds, with one-quarter of the species in the latest red list being trees.
Almost a quarter of the tree species in [South America] are at risk of extinction, according to the latest list, that is 3,356 out of 13,668 species. One of the primary threats to trees in these countries is crop farming and livestock farming.
Beef and soy are the biggest drivers of deforestation in the region. Based on a study published in Nature Sustainability a few months ago, 1.4 million hectares (the equivalent of nine cities the size of Greater London) were deforested in 2015 to open space for pasture for cows to graze. More than 60% of these clearances were related to demand from other parts of the country and 21% to foreign markets.
While several efforts are being made to tackle deforestation, illegal deforestation remains rampant. Often the trees are logged and exported as timber, the price of which has quadrupled in the past four decades. It is a profitable crime.
TITLE: New report reveals plummeting migratory shorebird populations globally
https://www.birdlife.org/news/2024/10/28/press-release-new-report-reveals-plummeting-migratory-shorebird-populations-globally/
EXCERPTS: The latest update to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ reveals a highly concerning decline in populations of migratory shorebirds across the globe, with 16 species reclassified to higher threat categories1. Science shows the huge negative impact of declining species populations, with whole ecosystems and food chains being disrupted as a result. As birds migrate beyond borders, the new update highlights a need for more collaboration from governments without delay to reverse the losses of migratory birds.
Birds are important indicators of the state of nature: they occur almost everywhere, their behaviours and ecology often mirror other groups of species, they are extremely well studied, and they are responsive to environmental change. With one in eight bird species threatened with extinction and 60% of bird species in decline globally2, diminishing bird populations signal ecosystems in crisis. Many migratory birds follow specific routes called flyways, stopping at various sites along the way to rest and feed. This makes them especially at risk from threats like habitat loss and climate change.
Shorebirds, often seen darting along beaches or feeding on mudflats, are a familiar sight all over the world. Coastal areas where many of these birds live also support millions of people by providing food, jobs, and storm protection. Protecting shorebirds is essential not just for the birds, but also for the coastal communities that depend on these habitats.
‘The perilous declines of migratory birds are a sign that the integrity of flyways is deteriorating. Losing the network of habitats that migratory birds depend on to rest and feed during their long journeys could have severe consequences for the millions of people that rely on these sites, as well as the birds,’’ warned Dr. Barend van Gemerden, Global Flyways Coordinator for BirdLife International.
We only have five more years of this defining decade. CBD COP16 is the moment to galvanise action to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030. Plummeting migratory bird populations signal that nature is in crisis. When we lose species, our future is compromised. Nature loss can be reversed but extinctions cannot.
TITLE: Colombia's Bold Call at COP16: A Coalition for Peace with Nature
https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/headlines/3140249-colombias-bold-call-at-cop16-a-coalition-for-peace-with-nature
EXCERPT: In a significant development at the U.N. COP16 biodiversity talks, Colombia spearheaded a coalition with 20 nations to promote "peace with nature" amidst warnings of environmental destruction leading to human extinction.
The coalition brings together countries from four continents, excluding Asia-Pacific, united under principles to amend humanity's ties with nature through conservation and sustainable development. This summit in Cali, with participation from nearly 200 countries, seeks solutions to halt nature's decline by 2030.
At the summit's opening, key figures, including Colombian President Gustavo Petro and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, highlighted the dire consequences of neglecting nature. Petro urged prioritizing life's value over profit, arguing that markets won't suffice for nature's preservation. The summit aims to enact 23 goals from the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, including mobilizing $200 billion annually for conservation, though financial agreements remain elusive.
TITLE: At COP 16 – Defending Biodiversity at Risk and the Path to Regeneration
https://navdanyainternational.org/at-cop-16-defending-biodiversity-at-risk-and-the-path-to-regeneration/
EXCERPT: Unfortunately, the concentration of power and natural resources in the hands of private multinational corporations, along with corporate-influenced global trade rules, directly threaten local and national sovereignty over natural resources. As noted in Navdanya International’s latest report, “Biodiversity is Life – Not an Asset Class: Debunking Biodiversity Credits, the Next Wave of Bio-Imperialism”, through the incorporation of natural ecosystems into financial markets, financialisation commodifies the natural world. The schemes are used to make corporate profit, serve financial interests, fragment ecosystems and reduce biodiversity to marketable goods. They do not address the root causes of the crisis, including the industrial food system. The forced introduction of GMOs, the commodification of biodiversity through financialisation schemes and the predatory possibilities offered by Digital Sequence Information (DSI) technology represent a great threat to the same communities that have long protected the richness of the Earth’s biodiversity.
To truly protect biodiversity, there are real solutions, rooted in care, knowledge and regenerative practices of local communities. Food sovereignty and agroecological systems offer powerful alternatives to the industrial model, demonstrating how biodiverse food cultures and economies of care can regenerate the earth and preserve its biodiversity. Through local, diverse agricultural systems, free from harmful chemicals, artificial fertilizers and GMOs, small-scale farmers not only grow a wide range of plant varieties, but also strengthen ecological resilience and cultural identity.
The path to true regeneration lies in supporting those who work in harmony with nature, not those who engage in financial schemes that commodify life. Biodiversity is a common good, not a commodity or private property to be exploited. And conservation of this biodiversity requires respect and protection of cultural diversity, as well as respect for the inherent rights of species, nature and people across the world.
SEE ALSO:
Work with nature to unlock economic prosperity, says major Oxford study
https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/news/work-with-nature-to-unlock-economic-prosperity
Indigenous peoples call for direct funding to protect nature at COP16 on biodiversity
https://elpais.com/america-colombia/cop16/2024-10-30/indigenous-peoples-call-for-direct-funding-to-protect-nature-at-cop16-on-biodiversity.html