COP15 is the world’s last best chance to effectively address the catastrophic loss of biodiversity that threatens one million species with extinction and puts humanity's future at risk.
EVENTS
STATEMENTS
STATEMENT
Media contacts at COP15:
Florence Wood, Burness, Mobile/WhatsApp: +44 7491147576, fwood@burness.com
Ellen Wilson, Burness, Mobile/WhatsApp: +1 301 466 3205, ewilson@burness.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Statement from Campaign for Nature on the Newly Released Text of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework
Montreal (December 18, 2022)
Brian O’Donnell, Director of the Campaign for Nature said:
“By including a target to protect and conserve at least 30% of the world’s lands and oceans, the draft text makes the largest commitment to ocean and land conservation in history. Conservation on this scale gives nature a chance. If approved, the outlook for leopards, butterflies, sea turtles, forests and people will markedly improve.
As parties finalize and approve this text, we encourage them to add language clarifying that this target sets at least 30 percent target for land areas and at least 30 percent for the ocean. The science is clear that this 30 percent figure must relate to both in order to ensure the right level of ambition and to effectively respond to the biodiversity crisis.
By including strong language safeguarding the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities and recognizing indigenous and traditional territories, the text provides an opportunity for a new era of partnership, respect and rights-based conservation. This could be the paradigm shift that scientists and indigenous leaders have been calling for.
We have heard developing countries rightly say that the ambition on financing must be equal to the ambition for conservation, which this draft has done. The 30x30 target roughly triples the commitment to conservation set by the Aichi targets over a decade ago, and today’s draft text proposes tripling the amount of international financing by 2030. Ultimately more work will be needed to ensure that we fully close the biodiversity financing gap, but this draft proposes an encouraging and strong step forward.”
Enric Sala, National Geographic Explorer in Residence and founder of National Geographic Pristine Seas said:
“Today the world's countries rose to the occasion and produced a historic draft that agrees to protect at least 30% of our planet. This recognizes years of work by negotiators, researchers, conservationists, and Indigenous Peoples. Now we just need to maintain the political will to get this ambition across the finish line without diminishing its scope. World leaders must remain committed to bold action in Montreal.”
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STATEMENT
Media contacts at COP15:
Florence Wood, Burness, Mobile/WhatsApp: +44 7491147576, fwood@burness.com
Ellen Wilson, Burness, Mobile/WhatsApp: +1 301 466 3205, ewilson@burness.com
Global Agreement Reached to Protect and Conserve at Least 30% of World’s Land and Ocean by 2030
Biodiversity Framework Includes Largest Land and Ocean Conservation Commitment in History
Montreal (December 19, 2022) – In the early hours of December 19th, negotiators from the 196 parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity rallied to finalize an ambitious, global biodiversity framework inclusive of the 30x30 target and Indigenous Peoples’ rights and recognition, while addressing the cavernous funding gap for biodiversity protection and conservation.
Brian O’Donnell, Director of the Campaign for Nature, said:
“In 2019, scientists sounded the alarm that biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history and urged global leaders to boldly act. After working through years of a global pandemic and economic and social upheaval, today in Montreal the international community has come together for a landmark global biodiversity agreement that provides some hope that the crisis facing nature is starting to get the attention it deserves.
Moose, sea turtles, parrots, rhinos, rare ferns and ancient trees, butterflies, rays, and dolphins are among the million species that will see a significantly improved outlook for their survival and abundance if this agreement is implemented effectively. Habitat loss and overfishing have led to biodiversity loss, and this agreement will safeguard key habitat and protect marine life.
At the heart of the agreement is a target to protect and conserve at least 30% of the world’s lands and oceans by 2030. The “30x30” target marks the largest land and ocean conservation commitment in history. It will have major positive impacts for wildlife, for addressing climate change, and for securing the services that nature provides to people, including clean water and pollination for crops. Ocean conservation, which has historically lagged behind land conservation, will now be an equal priority.
The Kunming - Montreal agreement also has the potential to usher in a new paradigm for conservation, one in which Indigenous Peoples and local communities’ rights are upheld and where they are recognized for the leadership they have provided. We are eager to work with Indigenous Peoples and local communities to center the achievement of this target around their efforts.
As the world now turns to implement this target, we must remember that achieving 30x30 is more than just reaching a number. Through this global target, the world has committed to increase conservation in the right places and in the right ways. Now the important work begins to ensure that at least 30% of the ocean and at least 30% of the land is effectively conserved, that the most important areas for biodiversity are prioritized, and that the systems of conserved areas are well connected and representative of the world’s diverse ecosystems. We must hold governments to account to fulfill their commitments to increase funding and reform harmful subsidies.
To fully achieve the ambition of this target, it will take everyone - from governments to civil society to Indigenous Peoples and local communities to scientists. Together we can ensure that all of the key qualitative aspects of this target are met and the intended conservation outcomes are secured.
We are grateful for the leadership of the COP President China, COP Host Canada, the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People and all of the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity who made this historic agreement possible.”
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ADVISORY
Media contacts at COP15:
Florence Wood, Burness, Mobile/WhatsApp: +44 7491147576, fwood@burness.com
Ellen Wilson, Burness, Mobile/WhatsApp: +1 301 466 3205, ewilson@burness.com
** MEDIA ADVISORY **
COP15 MEDIA CENTRE PRESS BRIEFING
3:00 PM, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18
Experts to Comment on Progress Toward “Paris-style” Deal for Nature and Specifics of Key Issues in the New Text of Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) Including—30x30, Rights for Indigenous Peoples and Finance
Panelists will lay out final recommendations for negotiators in last chance before text is finalized
REPLAY OF BRIEFING
With little time left to finalize a complex yet essential global deal for nature, experts will provide a detailed analysis of a newly released formal negotiating text. The updated text will represent the near-final post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and the experts will discuss what’s needed to achieve key targets under negotiation at COP15. This text is expected to be released Sunday, December 18 at 8 am Montréal.
WHAT: Campaign for Nature will comment on the GBF text and where it stands related to the global goal to protect at least 30% of the world’s land and ocean by 2030 (Target 3), finance, and the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
WHO:
Brian O'Donnell, Director, Campaign for Nature
Jennifer Corpuz, Managing Director of Policy, Nia Tero and representative of International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity
Dr. Kina Murphy, Ecologist and Chief Scientist, Campaign for Nature
Mark Opel, Finance Lead, Campaign for Nature
Other speakers TBD
WHEN: 3:00 pm Montréal/8:00 pm London/9:00 pm Paris, December 18, 2022
WHERE: Media Centre, Room 220D,The Palais des congrès de Montréal (COP15 venue), 1001 Pl. Jean-Paul-Riopelle, Montréal. The briefing will also be live-streamed here.
ABOUT 30x30
The global 30x30 goal has been endorsed by the G7 and is a pillar of a UN Convention on Biological Diversity agreement, known as the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), that will be finalized at COP15 December 7-19 in Montreal. The GBF is considered to be as important to the fate of the planet as the Paris Agreement. The 30x30 land and ocean goal is supported by 116 countries from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, nearly all of whom are members of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People. It is critical that this goal be implemented with full respect for the rights and contributions of Indigenous People and local communities.
ABOUT NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
The National Geographic Society is a global nonprofit organization that uses the power of science, exploration, education and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world. Since 1888, National Geographic has pushed the boundaries of exploration, investing in bold people and transformative ideas, providing more than 15,000 grants for work across all seven continents, reaching 3 million students each year through education offerings, and engaging audiences around the globe through signature experiences, stories and content. To learn more, visit www.nationalgeographic.org or follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN FOR NATURE
The Campaign for Nature works with partners worldwide to champion a global goal to protect at least 30% of the planet by 2030, a target to be agreed on at the 15th Conference on the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2022. The ambitious, science-driven 30x30 goal, endorsed by more than 100 countries worldwide, relies on ensuring the full rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities and adequate finance from an array of funders.
ADVISORY
Media contacts at COP15:
Florence Wood, Burness, Mobile/WhatsApp: +44 7491147576, fwood@burness.com
Susan Tonassi, Burness, Mobile/WhatsApp: +1 202 716 9665, stonassi@burness.com
** MEDIA ADVISORY **
THURSDAY, 15 December 2022| 10:30 AM ET |MEDIA CENTRE| CBD.INT/COP15
MINISTERS AND EXPERTS URGE NATIONS TO KEEP 30X30 ALIVE
AS TALKS ENTER FINAL STRETCH
Protecting at least 30% of the Global Ocean By 2030 Is Essential for
Successful Outcome at COP15 in Montreal
REPLAY OF THE BRIEFING
MONTREAL, CANADA — Three decades after the adoption of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the international community is now entering the final days of negotiations for an agreement to reverse the startling decline of species and habitats. Included in this global plan is a target that scientists say is essential if we hope to address the biodiversity and climate crises before the planet reaches irreversible tipping points: The protection of at least 30% of land and sea by 2030.
Over 100 countries support the target, but some delegations are pushing back on this level of ambition. Given accelerated loss of biodiversity and the repeated call by experts on the need for action, it is essential for the world’s governments to maintain the ecological integrity of an international policy framework that could define ocean health for decades to come.
A diverse panel of national and indigenous leaders and policy experts will weigh in on the dangers of falling short of 30X30 in the final biodiversity agreement, and what must happen to ensure a successful outcome.
WHO:
Melissa Wright, Bloomberg Philanthropies
Hon. Lee White, Minister of Water, Forests, the Sea, and Environment, Gabon (TBD)
H.E. Toeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster, Minister for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Samoa (TBD)
Enric Sala, Explorer-in-Residence, National Geographic, and Executive Director, Pristine Seas
Solomon Pili Kaho'ohalahala serves as the Papahānaumokuākea Native Hawaiian Elder on the Reserve Advisory Council and as the Chair of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary
WHEN: Thursday, 15th December 2022
10.30 AM Montréal local time
WHERE: Media Centre, Room 220D, The Palais des congrès de Montréal (COP15 venue), 1001 Pl. Jean-Paul-Riopelle, Montréal. The briefing will also be live-streamed here.
CONTACT: Please send inquiries to:
Florence Wood, Burness (on the ground in Montreal,
Mobile/WhatsApp: +44 7491147576, fwood@burness.com)
or
Michael Crocker, (remote, +1 207 522 1366, Michael@communicationsinc.co.uk)
ADVISORY
Media contacts at COP15:
Florence Wood, Burness, Mobile/WhatsApp: +44 7491147576, fwood@burness.com
Susan Tonassi, Burness, Mobile/WhatsApp: +1 202 716 9665, stonassi@burness.com
** MEDIA ADVISORY **
PRESS BRIEFING WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14 AT 11:30 AM
ON 30x30, FINANCE AND INDIGENOUS RIGHTS
Experts From Around the World to Share Action Plan for Closing an Ambitious, On-time “Paris-style” Deal for Nature
Will lay out urgent “to do” list for Ministers arriving in Montreal; Founding chair of Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) will take part
Replay of the Briefing
With only hours left to iron out a complex yet urgent global deal for nature, experts will provide a snapshot of the key sticking points and a state of play of the most critical targets, including the global goal to protect at least 30% of the world—land and ocean—by 2030 (Target 3); the financial commitments needed to end the biodiversity crisis; and the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
WHAT: Campaign for Nature will provide an overview of what to expect in the final week of the negotiations.
WHO:
Brian O'Donnell, Director, Campaign for Nature
Theresa M. Teñazas, Wildlife Resources Division Chief, Department of Environment and Natural Resources - Biodiversity Management Bureau, Philippines - TBC
Dr. Zakri Abdul Hamid, Ambassador and Science Advisor, Campaign for Nature and Founding Chair, Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)
Cristiane Julião Pankararu, the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) and Organization of the Northeast, Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo (APOINME)
Mark Opel, Finance Lead, Campaign for Nature
WHEN: 11:30 a.m. Montréal/4:30 pm London/5:30 pm Paris, December 14, 2022
WHERE: Room 220D, The Palais des congrès de Montréal (COP15 venue), 1001 Pl. Jean-Paul-Riopelle, Montréal. The briefing will also be live-streamed here.
ABOUT 30x30
The global 30x30 goal has been endorsed by the G7 and is a pillar of a UN Convention on Biological Diversity agreement, known as the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), that will be finalized at COP15 December 7-19 in Montreal. The GBF is considered to be as important to the fate of the planet as the Paris Agreement. The 30x30 land and ocean goal is supported by 112 countries from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, nearly all of whom are members of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People. It is critical that this goal be implemented with full respect for the rights and contributions of Indigenous People and local communities.
ABOUT NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
The National Geographic Society is a global nonprofit organization that uses the power of science, exploration, education and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world. Since 1888, National Geographic has pushed the boundaries of exploration, investing in bold people and transformative ideas, providing more than 15,000 grants for work across all seven continents, reaching 3 million students each year through education offerings, and engaging audiences around the globe through signature experiences, stories and content. To learn more, visit www.nationalgeographic.org or follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN FOR NATURE
The Campaign for Nature works with partners worldwide to champion a global goal to protect at least 30% of the planet by 2030, a target to be agreed on at the 15th Conference on the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2022. The ambitious, science-driven 30x30 goal, endorsed by more than 100 countries worldwide, relies on ensuring the full rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities and adequate finance from an array of funders.
STATEMENT
In Canada, First Nations Nature Guardians Exemplify Rights-Based Conservation—Central to the Success of UN Biodiversity Talks
Strong rights for Indigenous Peoples and local communities, together with the global goal to protect at least 30% of land and oceans by 2030, take center stage in Montreal
MONTREAL, Canada (December 8, 2022)— First Nations protect more than 55 million hectares of the boreal forest—sustaining the biodiversity and billions of tonnes of carbon stocks contained within the northern woodlands—with growing recognition and support extended by the Canadian government. With the UN Convention on Biological Diversity conference of parties COP15 starting this week in Montreal, they set an example for rights-centered conservation that shows how the world can protect at least 30% of the world’s lands and waters by 2030.
Nature protection—specifically a global goal to protect at least 30% of land and oceans by 2030—and the role of rights for Indigenous Peoples and local communities worldwide in safeguarding biodiversity will be a major topic of discussion at the summit. Studies have shown that Indigenous Peoples and local communities are among the best custodians of nature, with 80% of the world’s remaining biodiversity found on Indigenous lands. In a study of Canada, Australia and Brazil, Canadian researchers found that biodiversity is highest on lands managed by Indigenous Peoples and local communities
“A target calling for countries to protect 30% of the lands and waters by 2030 is an ambition for the governments to invest in development strategies for conserving lands and waters, like in Canada,” said Ashley Menicoche, Regional Coordinator, Edéhzhíe Dehcho Protected Area and National Wildlife Area. Ms. Menicoche runs the Guardians program for the Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA), which was established in 2018 and spans 14,249 square kilometres of boreal forest and headwaters lakes in the Northwest Territories. One of the first IPCAs established since Canada committed to biodiversity targets, Edéhzhíe offers a new model for achieving ambitious conservation goals.
“This is a very ambitious timeline for all of us,” said Ms. Menicoche. “But global biodiversity is critically important and Indigenous People have so much knowledge. We have our responsibilities to uphold, of caring for the lands and the waters, and we also have the other side of the world now coming to us to ask us for help.”
“It is important that Indigenous Peoples have the space and capacity to judge for themselves what type of development is appropriate,” said Valérie Courtois, Director of the Indigenous Leadership Initiative, who has been instrumental in helping secure first-ever federal funding for dozens of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas—spanning hundreds of thousands of sq km—and over 120 Indigenous Guardians stewardship programs.
“The first question that should be asked,” notes Ms. Courtois, “is what needs to stay for these landscapes to survive for a relationship to thrive within them? This original premise of planning changes everything about the approach. And so that's what we're looking for out of the 30 by 30 processes is not only recognition of our role, but also the way that indigenous peoples can change the approach to development, starting with our relationship with these landscapes.”
The Boreal Forest is the largest intact forest left on Earth. It holds almost one quarter of the world’s wetlands, and contains significant quantities of carbon, storing the equivalent of up to 36 years’ worth of global carbon emissions. The Canadian government, recognizing the importance of Indigenous-led conservation, recently dedicated $340 million to supporting First Nations in sustaining the Boreal Forest. Nearly 90% of protected areas created in Canada in the past two decades have been led by Indigenous Nations.
“We have a very important and special responsibility because we call home to one of the largest, healthy, intact places in the world,'' said Gillian Staveley, Director of Land Stewardship & Culture, Dena Kayeh Institute. Ms. Staveley helps lead the Kaska Dena’s work to protect Dene Kʼéh Kusān, an area the size of Switzerland free of roads, power lines, and development in northern British Columbia. The Kaska have lived on these lands for nearly 8,000 years, and their vision for the protected area will nurture Kaska language and culture and support sustainable economic opportunities.
“In Montreal, we want to move beyond just acknowledgement and recognition of the role that Indigenous Peoples play in making sure that our lands and waters are resilient,” said Ms. Staveley. “Every indigenous nation has the right and responsibility to determine the future of their territory, the ancestral land of traditional territory. And when we support that right, we're also respecting their ability to know what kind of diverse economic needs are there. Nations can protect land and pursue development at the same time it is possible. It is all about balance.”
“Where there is funding for establishing these incredible protected spaces and their biodiversity, so much of that funding right now comes with a lot of precedent, rules, regulations, these types of things where we're often making our circular communities fit into these square boxes,” noted Stephanie Thorassie, Director of the Seal River Watershed Initiative. The 50,000 sq km Seal River Watershed in northern Manitoba is home to caribou herds, polar bears, belugas and countless other species—it is one of the largest intact watersheds on the planet. It holds 1.7 billion tonnes of carbon—equivalent to 8 years’ worth of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. And it is the source of Dene, Cree, and Inuit language, culture, and traditions.
“World leaders and policy makers need to realize and understand that these values and these decisions that are made by our communities do not just come from somebody who doesn't have education, who doesn't have these university degrees,” said Ms. Thorassie. “In our cultures, these elders and these people, the knowledge that they carry is older than the universities in the outside world.”
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Week One Media contacts at COP15:
Kirsten Weymouth, Senior Director, Impact Communications, National Geographic Society, Mobile/WhatsApp: +1 703 928 4995, kweymouth@ngs.org
Susan Tonassi, Burness, Mobile/WhatsApp: +1 202 716 9665, stonassi@burness.com
Anne-Marie Schryer-Roy, Burness, Mobile/WhatsApp: +254 727 305525, aschryer-roy@burness.com French/English
STATEMENT
Statement from Campaign for Nature on COP15
Montreal, Canada (December 6, 2022)—As the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) kicks off, countries around the world are being called on to agree to a global strategy and deliver a “Paris moment” for nature. But doing so will require a full-scale course-correction and far greater leadership and urgency than we have seen from the United Nations and governments to date. The CBD held emergency working group meetings immediately before COP15, and for the third time this year, the meetings failed to achieve significant progress, leaving a successful and ambitious outcome of COP15 in jeopardy.
COP15 is the world’s last best chance to effectively address the catastrophic loss of biodiversity that threatens one million species with extinction and puts humanity's future at risk. With no heads of state invited to attend COP15, we now call on each one of them to instruct their delegations and their ministers to act with urgency and boldness over the next two weeks to deliver the deal that is required. The UN Secretary General and China and Canada, as COP15 president and host respectively, have outsized roles in setting the tone and raising the ambition for the meeting. They need to close the leadership gap and ensure that an ambitious deal is reached prioritizing the right outcomes.
Given the complexity and far-reaching nature of the global biodiversity crisis, the agreement at COP15 must show ambition on a wide range of issues, including tackling the drivers of biodiversity loss, and must contain a strong implementation mechanism that ensures immediate action and a system that can increase action throughout the decade so that we do not have a repeat of the failure of the Aichi biodiversity targets. Ultimately the agreement needs to clearly put the world on a path to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, achieving a nature positive world by 2030.
With the clock ticking, there are three issues in particular that should be viewed as central to the final negotiations. While success at COP15 requires significant progress on a broader set of issues, no agreement will be a success without the following:
A global target to protect and conserve at least 30% of the world’s lands and inland waters and oceans. The agreement must have an area-based target to protect and conserve at least 30% of the world’s lands and at least 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030 (known as the 30x30 target) ensuring that protection is effectively managed, ecologically representative and focused on the areas that are the most important for biodiversity, and respecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities (see below). Science tells us this is the minimum area required to address the largest drivers of biodiversity decline: habitat loss and overexploitation. Additionally, the recently-released IPCC report underlined the urgent need to protect at least 30% of the planet to achieve both biodiversity and climate goals. The target has been endorsed by more than 114 countries, the majority of which are from developing countries and emerging economies where much of the most important biodiversity is found.
Advancing the rights and leadership of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. This framework must have as a core thread running through it the full respect for the rights, experience and contributions of Indigenous Peoples and local communities to biodiversity. The area based conservation target 3 must have explicit language to that effect and be implemented in a rights-based approach that promotes Indigenous Peoples and local communities as essential stewards of biodiversity.
Enhancing finance to meet biodiversity goals. The agreement must contain a package which results in a significant increase in finance for biodiversity and an end to the funding of the destruction of nature. Specifically, this package should include a commitment by all governments to increase domestic spending on biodiversity and end subsidies that are harmful to nature, redirecting these funds to protecting and restoring nature; an increase of at least $60 billion USD in new public international biodiversity finance in the form of grants from developed nations to low- and middle-income countries as well as directly to Indigenous Peoples and local communities, increasing over time; new private sector investments to protect nature; a commitment by multilateral development banks and international financial institutions to increase finance for biodiversity in the way that they have for climate; and a plan to roll out debt forgiveness and debt for nature swaps for developing countries.
Media contacts at COP15:
In Montreal Week One:
Kirsten Weymouth, Senior Director, Impact Communications, National Geographic Society, Mobile/WhatsApp: +1 703 928 4995, kweymouth@ngs.org - in Montreal week one
Susan Tonassi, Burness, Mobile/WhatsApp: +1 202 716 9665, stonassi@burness.com
Anne-Marie Schryer-Roy, Burness, Mobile/WhatsApp: +254 727 305525, aschryer-roy@burness.com French/English
ADVISORY
Media contacts at COP15:
In Montreal Week One:
Kirsten Weymouth, Senior Director, Impact Communications, National Geographic Society, Mobile/WhatsApp: +1 703 928 4995, kweymouth@ngs.org - in Montreal week one
Susan Tonassi, Burness, Mobile/WhatsApp: +1 202 716 9665, stonassi@burness.com
Anne-Marie Schryer-Roy, Burness, Mobile/WhatsApp: +254 727 305525, aschryer-roy@burness.com French/English
** MEDIA ADVISORY **
PRESS BRIEFING THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8 AT 10 AM
ON THREE MOST CRITICAL BIODIVERSITY AGREEMENT TARGETS — 30x30, FINANCE AND INDIGENOUS RIGHTS
REPLAY OF THE BRIEFING:
Experts Lay out How Cop15 Can Deliver Ambitious, Well-funded, Rights-based Nature Conservation
Even Without Heads of State in the Room, Montréal Can Be Nature’s “Paris Moment”
Experts will outline what it will take in the days, hours and minutes ahead to ensure delegates deliver a global deal for nature that includes the science-backed global goal to protect at least 30% of the world—land and ocean—by 2030. More than 110 countries across the world have joined the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People to rally support for Target 3 of the biodiversity agreement—the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. Panelists will also provide an update on the state of play of the financial commitments needed to end the biodiversity crisis. And they will discuss how the goals of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework can’t be achieved without recognizing the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities and their essential contributions to biodiversity conservation.
WHAT: Campaign for Nature is hosting an official press briefing to lay out what to look out for on 30x30, finance and the rights and contributions of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in the week ahead. They will provide a second update on December 14. Panelists are available for follow up interviews.
WHO:
Brian O'Donnell, Director, Campaign for Nature
Jennifer Corpuz, Managing Director of Policy, Nia Tero and representative of International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity
KM Reyes, National Geographic Explorer, and Co-Founder of and Advisor to the Centre for Sustainability Philippines
Dr. Kina Murphy, Ecologist and Chief Scientist for the Campaign for Nature
Mark Opel, Finance Lead, Campaign for Nature
M. Ousseynou Kasse, High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People and Chair of the African Group of Negotiators
WHEN: 10 a.m. Montréal/3 pm London/4 pm Paris, December 8, 2022
WHERE: Room 220D,The Palais des congrès de Montréal (COP15 venue), 1001 Pl. Jean-Paul-Riopelle, Montréal. The briefing will also be live-streamed here.
ABOUT 30x30
The global 30x30 goal has been endorsed by the G7 and is a pillar of a UN Convention on Biological Diversity agreement, known as the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), that will be finalized at COP15 December 7-19 in Montreal. The GBF is considered to be as important to the fate of the planet as the Paris Agreement. The 30x30 land and ocean goal is supported by 112 countries from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, nearly all of whom are members of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People. It is critical that this goal be implemented with full respect for the rights and contributions of Indigenous People and local communities.
ABOUT NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
The National Geographic Society is a global nonprofit organization that uses the power of science, exploration, education and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world. Since 1888, National Geographic has pushed the boundaries of exploration, investing in bold people and transformative ideas, providing more than 15,000 grants for work across all seven continents, reaching 3 million students each year through education offerings, and engaging audiences around the globe through signature experiences, stories and content. To learn more, visit www.nationalgeographic.org or follow us on Instagram, and Facebook.
ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN FOR NATURE
The Campaign for Nature works with partners worldwide to champion a global goal to protect at least 30% of the planet by 2030, a target to be agreed on at the 15th Conference on the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2022. The ambitious, science-driven 30x30 goal, endorsed by more than 100 countries worldwide, relies on ensuring the full rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities and adequate finance from an array of funders.
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS
30x30 and Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities
Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs) have been among the most effective stewards of biodiversity since time immemorial. The IPBES global assessment clearly documents the critical role that IPLCs play in biodiversity conservation, noting that 35% of the areas formally protected and 35% of all remaining terrestrial areas with very low human intervention are traditionally owned, managed, used, or occupied by Indigenous Peoples.
IPLCs must be full partners in developing and implementing the entire post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, the global strategy that countries around the world are developing through the Convention on Biological Diversity.
The same is true for specific targets, including the proposal to protect or conserve at least 30% of the planet’s land and ocean by 2030. Achieving this global target will only be possible with the leadership of Indigenous Peoples and local communities and with full recognition of their rights.
There is growing support from countries, philanthropists, and civil society in advancing a rights-based approach to biodiversity conservation that can benefit the natural world and support human rights. The following highlights some of this progress, while also underscoring where more support and action is needed.
Governments are Recognizing the Key Role of IPLCs in 30x30
The High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People (HAC for Nature and People), a group of over 85 countries championing the 30x30 global target, has consistently highlighted the importance of recognizing Indigenous rights and engaging Indigenous Peoples and local communities as full partners. As just one example, the countries included the following as a core principle when first announcing their intergovernmental coalition in January 2021:
“Indigenous Peoples and local communities are protectors of the most biodiverse sites in the world. To effectively and equitably meet this increased target, they should be engaged as partners in the design and management of these conserved areas, ensuring free, prior and informed consent and alignment with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The HAC for Nature and People has created a task force to address Indigenous people and local communities' concerns and promote Indigenous wisdom in the CBD negotiations. This task force has initiated a dialogue with the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity.”
There is Still a Need to Explicitly Protect IPLC Rights in 30x30 Target
Increasingly, parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity are proposing to strengthen the 30x30 target and the overall global biodiversity framework to more explicitly protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
This movement is in response to calls from the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB) and other Indigenous leaders to explicitly ensure free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) in the 30x30 target. Some countries have supported this recommendation, as have organizations leading the push for 30x30 like Campaign for Nature (see the Campaign for Nature intervention from the last CBD negotiation).
Historically, and in some cases still today, some protected areas have created conflict with Indigenous Peoples and local communities and led to rights violations, including forced evictions. Adding explicit safeguards for IPLC rights to Target 3 would be the single most effective way to show that 30x30 will diverge from past mistakes and align with human rights in its implementation, which is important from both a biodiversity and a moral perspective.
The CBD negotiations in Geneva in March 2022 present a critical opportunity for more countries to embrace these recommendations.
Increasing Funding to IPLCs to Advance Rights and Support 30x30 Implementation
Governments, philanthropists, and the private sector have committed to increase their financing for biodiversity. At the UN General Assembly in 2021, in an unprecedented announcement, nine philanthropic organizations launched the “Protecting Our Planet Challenge” and pledged $5 billion to protect and conserve 30% of the planet by 2030 by supporting protected areas and Indigenous stewardship of their territories.
This marks the largest-ever philanthropic commitment to nature conservation and serves as an important example of how the 30% target could be aligned with human rights.
Separately, environmental and Indigneous rights organizations are working together to develop new financial mechanisms and raise funding to support advancing IPLC rights as a key way to help achieve 30x30.
As one example, in January 2022, Campaign for Nature and Rights and Resources Initiative launched the Community Land Rights and Conservation Finance Initiative (CLARIFI), which has been designed to help deploy government and philanthropic funding to scale up the legal recognition of Indigenous Peoples’, Afro-descendant Peoples’, and local communities’ rights. The initiative aims to raise USD $10 billion between now and 2030 to achieve three goals: 1) help protect at least 30% of the planet by 2030 by adding 400 million hectares to Indigenous Peoples’, Afro-descendant Peoples’, and local communities’ legally recognized territories; 2) reduce deforestation to help reach the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement; and 3) increase these communities’ legal land ownership to at least 50% of all tropical forests.
How Conservation Can Benefit Biodiversity and IPLCs
There are numerous examples of how advancing conservation can help advance Indigenous rights. Likewise, there are many examples of Indigenous stewardship that show how promoting Indigenous governance can help achieve biodiversity outcomes. The following are just a few examples:
According to the Rapa Nui community leader Ludovic Burns Tuki, the creation of a large marine protected area around Easter Island helped the Rapa Nui progress toward the recognition of their ancestral rights and vision for the environment. Mr. Burns Tuki leads the community group Te Mau or Te Vaikava, which has officially endorsed the global 30% ocean target.
British Columbia First Nations have expressed their desire to help lead efforts to achieve Canada’s commitment to 30x30. They are asking for action from the provincial government to support them in advancing Indigneous Protected Areas, noting that Indigenous groups are working hard to develop solutions to the global climate crisis, biodiversity crisis and to advance equity for Indigenous peoples.
In 2011, a new national law in Guyana made it possible for the Wai-wai peoples to apply to add their territory to the National Protected Areas System. Their goal was to protect their lands from intruders--such as loggers or miners--and receive funds from the Protected Areas Trust Fund to sustainably manage their lands. In 2017, the Kanashen Amerindian Protected Area (KAPA) was established--home to the source of one of the largest rivers in South America, the Essequibo River. Managed by a village council and a team of rangers, KAPA ensures that the Wai-wais can protect this river and the surrounding lands. They are now working on a new eco-tourism project to attract visitors to the area.
Another example is in Colombia where Afro-Colombian local communities have secured the Isla Ají marine protected area (24,600 hectares of coastal, terrestrial and marine ecosystems on Colombia’s Pacific coast) contributing to Colombia’s 30x30 goal.
Quotes from Indigenous Leaders on 30x30 and the Need for a Rights Based Approach
There is a growing number of Indigenous leaders who are supportive of 30x30 so long as it fully safeguards Indigenous Peoples rights and promotes a rights based approach to conservation. The following are just a few quotes from leaders on the topic.
Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Coordinator of the Association of Peul Women and Autochthonous Peoples of Chad, and member of the Campaign for Nature’s Global Steering Committee:
“There must be recognition of the 80% of biodiversity that Indigenous peoples are conserving already and the 30x30 initiative is a good complementary idea as long as it is done with the free prior and informed consent and in partnership with indigenous peoples, respecting them and their rights and traditional knowledge that we know are essential to effectively protect nature and provide for people.”
(Her statement was made during a high-level event on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2021.)
Deb Haaland, US Secretary of the Interior:
“The goal of protecting 30 percent of the world’s land and ocean should also apply to the United States. Protecting more land and water across our country will create new jobs, increase access to the outdoors for underserved communities, protect Indigenous lands, and preserve the spectacular landscapes that reflect America’s character and diverse cultures.”
(Her statement was made prior to her appointment as Secretary, when she was an honorary member of Campaign for Nature’s Global Steering Committee.)
Vicky Tauli-Corpuz, Nia Tero Board Chair & Former UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples:
“Investing in the rights of Indigenous peoples and their guardianship of territory is one of the most important, and most overlooked, strategies for addressing the existential threats of climate change and biodiversity loss. As an organization committed to securing Indigenous guardianship of thriving ecosystems, we applaud these leading-edge funders for dramatically expanding support of this essential pathway to achieve the 30x30 targets.”
(Her statement was made in response to the nine philanthropic organizations that launched the "Protecting Our Planet Challenge.”)
Ramiro Batzin, Co-coordinator of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB):
“Global experts have made it clear that advancing rights is the best opportunity for the future of a healthy and sustainable planet. Although much more needs to be done, there are some encouraging signs that governments, philanthropists, and others are getting the message.”
(His statement was made in an October 2021 op-ed.)
Valérie Courtois, Director, Indigenous Leadership Initiative:
“Canada has vowed to protect 30% of lands and oceans by 2030 and slash carbon emissions. It has also pledged to foster equity and sustainable development. Indigenous Nations stand ready to partner on these goals. We are honouring our responsibility for the land in ways that are good for people and the economy. With added investment, Indigenous Nations can help Canada emerge from the pandemic as a leader in economic recovery, conservation, and climate action.”
(Her statement was made in an April 2021 op-ed.)
Steven Nitah, lead negotiator for Lutsël K'é Dene First Nation and senior leader of the Indigenous Leadership Initiative:
“Instead of old approaches, where a national government engineers and delivers a program “on behalf of” Indigenous peoples, Indigenous-led conservation is built from the ground up, with Indigenous nations in the lead, including those long responsible for the land and accountable to youth, elders and future generations. Through this new model of ethical, equitable conservation and by building lasting partnerships with Indigenous peoples, the U.S. and Canada can leverage the knowledge and understanding of local people to fight the existential threats facing climate and nature.”
(He made his statement in a March 2021 op-ed.)
SUPPORT FOR 30x30
The majority of countries back the goals of Target 3 in the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF): 89 countries are committed to protecting 30% of land and ocean as members of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People; 72 countries are advocating for the protection of 30% of the world’s ocean by 2030 as members of the Global Ocean Alliance (GOA); and 93 countries have now signed the Leaders Pledge for Nature, committing to significantly increase the protection of the world’s land and ocean areas. .
Target 3: Ensure that at least 30% globally of land areas and of sea areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and its contributions to people, are conserved through effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and well-connected systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, and integrated into the wider landscapes and seascapes.
In August 2021, the three intergovernmental coalitions (the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, the Global Ocean Alliance and the Leaders Pledge for Nature) issued a joint declaration expressing strong support for a significant increase in terrestrial and marine protection, with 30x30 highlighted as the specific measure for ambition. Collectively, these efforts represent a majority of the world’s countries.
In February 2022, The Central American Commission for Environment and Development signed a resolution establishing regional support for the 30x30 global target. [Document available on request.]
Also in February 2022, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report stating, “maintaining the resilience of biodiversity and ecosystem services at a global scale depends on effective and equitable conservation of approximately 30-50% of the Earth’s land, freshwater and ocean areas.
In October 2021, the Kunming Declaration was adopted at COP15. The pact noted the growing support from countries for 30x30 and committed to increasing area based conservation, improving the effectiveness of protected and conserved areas, and recognizing the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
The 2021 G7 issued a communiqué expressing its support for the 30x30 target.
The 2021 G20 released an environment communiqué highlighting commitments made by G20 members on biodiversity conservation, including those to support the 30x30 target.
In September 2021, the IUCN World Conservation Congress:
Passed Motion 101, which highlighted the robust scientific support for increasing protected area coverage to 50% of the planet, supported 30x30 as a key target in the CBD Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, and called for greater support and rights for Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLC). The motion passed with nearly 90% of the government members’ votes and with unanimous support from Indigenous organizations that voted.
Passed Motion 40, which put forward IUCN’s official position and priorities for the CBD’s Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, including strong and explicit support for 30x30. The motion passed with over 98% of the government members’ votes and with unanimous support from the Indigenous organizations’ votes.
Included support for 30x30 in the Marseille Manifesto, which was intended to capture priorities emerging from the Congress.
At the UN General Assembly in 2021, in an unprecedented announcement, nine philanthropic organizations launched the "Protecting Our Planet Challenge" and pledged $5 billion to protect and conserve 30% of the planet by 2030 by supporting protected areas and Indigenous stewardship of their territories. This marks the largest-ever philanthropic commitment to nature conservation, and Indigenous leaders welcomed the announcement as a sign of how the 30% target could be aligned with human rights.
In 2019, the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, led by 14 countries, issued an ocean action agenda that called for a global target to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030.
The 30x30 proposal is currently Target 3 in the United Nations First Draft of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.
The 30x30 proposal is supported by the best available science, which clearly demonstrates that 30% is the absolute minimum extent of protections needed to help address global biodiversity loss, mitigate and adapt to climate change, provide essential ecosystem services and other economic benefits and reduce the risk of future zoonotic disease like Covid-19.
UNEP/WCMC found that conserving 30% of land could safeguard around half the world’s vulnerable terrestrial carbon stocks – and reduce the extinction risk of nearly 9 out of 10 threatened terrestrial species.
A Cambridge Report found that the economic benefits of protecting 30% of the planet outweigh the costs by a ratio of at least 5-to-1.
A McKinsey report found that 30 percent protected globally would support 30 million jobs in ecotourism and sustainable fisheries.
SPOKESPEOPLE
Director, Campaign for Nature
For more than two decades, Brian O’Donnell has been a leading land and wildlife conservationist. Brian works as the director of the Campaign for Nature, an effort supported by the Wyss Foundation to increase global targets and financing for protected areas under the Convention on Biological Diversity. Prior to leading Campaign for Nature, Brian helped develop a new long-term protected area financing strategy while consulting with the Frankfurt Zoological Society.
From 2007 through early 2017, Brian worked as the Executive Director of the Conservation Lands Foundation. Brian Led the foundation’s efforts to protect, restore, and expand the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s National Conservation Lands. At CLF, Brian led a campaign that protected millions of acres of land as National Monuments. Prior to joining CLF, Brian was the National Public Lands Director for Trout Unlimited (TU). He led TU’s efforts to protect U.S. National Forest Roadless Areas, permanently protect more than a million acres in the Wyoming Range, and secure Oregon’s Copper-Salmon Wilderness. Brian also worked for The Wilderness Society where he led campaigns resulting in the congressional designation of the Black Rock Desert and Sloan Canyon National Conservation Areas and dozens of new legislated Wilderness areas throughout Nevada.
Brian has a degree in economics from Rollins College. Brian was a member of the inaugural class of Presidential Leadership Scholars. Brian serves on the Board of Directors of the Alaska Wilderness League and New Mexico Wilderness Association.
National Geographic Explorer and Co-Founder of and Advisor to the Centre for Sustainability, Philippines
A community organizer and conservationist, KM Reyes is based on Palawan island in the Philippines. She was born and raised in Australia to Filipino parents, and has lived and worked extensively in Europe, Latin America, and North Africa before deciding to return to her roots and settle in the Philippines. Reyes is co-executive director and co-founder of the environmental nongovernment organization Centre for Sustainability PH (CS), established to organize efforts to create a sustainable future for Palawan by influencing decision-makers and shaping development on the island. CS spearheaded the declaration of Cleopatra’s Needle Critical Habitat, protecting 41,350 hectares of some of the Philippines’ last remaining primary forest in Puerto Princesa.
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