GOOD COP BAD COP? 2 – the follow-up

So, they’ve done it. At COP 15 it was agreed that 30% of the Earth’s land and ocean will be protected by 2030. There is always a “but” though and this is no exception. For example, the Democratic Republic of the Congo said the deal was forced through by the Chinese president and the DRC didn’t accept it. This is important because the DRC contains 60% of the planet’s second largest tropical, forest which will need to be protected but the DRC are exploiting fossil fuel reserves there and have pointed out their right to develop economically. Grumbles from other developing nations also surfaced but last minute negotiations seem to have moved to resolve the major concerns. The deal needs all parties on board to save the world’s ecosystems: that is vital..

There were high points such as the protection of Indigenous Peoples’ and their rights, whose territories contain so much of what is left of relatively undisturbed ecosystems. Another worry, though, is that the seas and oceans which cover 70% of the planet’s surface received too little attention, yet the marine environment is in serious trouble from pollution, plastic waste, warming, over-fishing and other human insults. Protecting large areas of it depend on judicious selection which must include coral reefs, mangrove areas and deep ocean trenches with their extraordinary ecological communities around volcanic vents but which are threatened by mining.

COP15 was the fifteenth United Nations Biodiversity Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. The UK (Natural England, NatureScot, Natural Resources Wales and DEARA Northern Ireland jointly) and many other participants called for binding targets at this COP. Kew scientists also attended with the UK delegation, summarising their approach to link the biodiversity and climate crises,  to bring to the conference their global partnership network and related experience, to contribute their extensive experience and expertise in biodiversity matters and the support the 30 by 30 implementation. There are suggestions, though, that the UK contribution has been far to light a touch and, for example, whether the money promised by us to developing nations will be fully, appropriately and faithfully applied.

I wanted to finish on a positive note but COP15 is a curate’s egg. We can only hope that Greta Thunberg’s comment that there is too much blah, blah, blah will prove incorrect. Sadly, I fear she may be right. We shall see. Just because you assign an area to be protected, it does not mean that the required strict implementation of conservation and biodiversity recovery/enhancement will actually follow, or that it will be rigorously and objectively recorded and accurately measured scientifically over time. The present chaos and infighting of the UK government, the ever-growing Brexit catastrophe, the failure to mend so many burnt bridges with the EU and the rise of the far right do not bode well. The absence of politicians in UK government with a higher level ecological science background means biodiversity and ecosystem function and dynamics are not understood and so far too easily overlooked, or not even considered at all in decision making. Education in ecological science at school for everyone is essential.

There must be severe and legally binding penalties applied for those who flout the measures agreed in COP15. It is far too easy for governments and corporations to get away with causing serious ecological harm. Will the COP15 signatories all comply? Honestly, and given the history, I doubt it unless there are significant sanctions rigorously imposed.

Betts Ecology know only too well how vital the protection and recovery of biodiversity are. We are on nature’s side and always will be. Each of us has to take responsibility for the environment and helping nature in this time of biodiversity crisis and species extinction.

 © Betts Ecology