Kunming Declaration calls for urgent action to reflect biodiversity considerations
Kunming — More than 100 countries pledged on Wednesday to put the protection of habitats at the heart of their government decision-making but they stopped short of committing to specific targets to curb mass extinctions.
With plant and animal species loss now at the fastest rate in 10-million years, politicians, scientists and experts have been trying to lay the groundwork for a new pact on saving biodiversity. A 30% pledge could prove too much for land-stressed China, which has nearly 10,000 nature reserves covering 18% of its territory.
Elizabeth Mrema, executive secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, played down the importance of the adoption of the specific 30% target. “We need to keep in mind that we must focus on biodiversity outcomes rather than spatial area,” she said.Apart from the question of targets for conservation, some activists have complained that disagreement over the wording of the declaration had diverted delegates’ attention when urgent action is needed.
There were complaints, particularly from Japan, that China had pushed the declaration through without sufficient discussion, sources familiar with the situation said.
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