Endangered Ecosystems Across The World To Be Restored Through New International Agreement

We are inseparably tied to our planet’s health. Plants and animals - along with their ecosystems - are continuing to decline because of constant pressures.

Stock Graphic.

Some might wonder what this has to do with the lives of average people. The main reasons include:

• The cleanliness of fresh water drinking sources.
• Maintaining food supplies, especially from ocean sources.
• Developing medicines from undiscovered plants for current and coming diseases.
• Decreasing air pollution through the expansion of forests, which purifies the atmosphere.

One of the biggest concerns talked about at the recent United Nations Convention on Biodiversity was the adverse impact of climate change on marine and coastal ecosystems, including rising sea levels, coral bleaching, and ocean acidification.

Coral bleaching happens when the conditions necessary to sustain the coral’s life can be maintained. Live coral reefs provide habitat for at least a quarter of all marine species.

Some of the triggers of coral bleaching are: increased water temperature; change in salt level; change in sediment; change in sea level; pathogens; and change in water chemistry, such as ocean acidification.

Ocean acidification is the increase in the pH levels of the Earth’s oceans caused by the increased absorption carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Ocean acidification. Graphic courtesy of the Living Ocean Society.

Beyond the consequences to aquatic life, the increase of carbon in oceans can also significantly affect the rate and scale of global climate change.

At the biodiversity convention, representatives from 193 countries adopted a 10-year plan containing a number of methods for restoring and increasing biodiversity levels in ecosystems around the globe by 2020. Among the goals are to:

• Sustainably manage and harvest fish and other marine life, including aquatic plants to avoid damage to habitats and ecosystems.
• Conserve at least 17 percent of terrestrial (ground) and inland water, as well as 10 percent of coastal and marine areas.
• Decrease the loss of all natural habitats, including forests, by at least half, and where possible, bring close to zero.
• Restore at least 15 percent of degraded ecosystems, which is also expected to have the benefit of reducing carbon levels in the atmosphere and climate change.
• Respect the traditional knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities relevant for conservation and sustainable use.

The convention members agreed to an action plan that will include: nations sharing information; helping developing nations with initiatives; nations developing policies that trickle down to the local level; and financing.

The convention encouraged subnational governments and local authorities to integrate biodiversity considerations into public procurement policies and urban infrastructure investments, such as: parkways and green transportation systems, public buildings, vertical gardens; water treatment and distribution; convention and conference centers; housing projects; and waste management.

Financing to support the convention’s initiatives came from a number of countries. Japan Prime Minister Naoto Kan announced $2 billion in financing to establishing the Japan Biodiversity Fund. Financial resources were also contributed from the European Union, with about $110 million dollars being mobilized to support projects of the convention’s LifeWeb Initiative aimed at enhancing the protected areas agenda.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

In addition, it was also suggested that financing for projects come from: donors; regional economic commissions; regional development banks; representatives from the private sector; non-governmental organizations; and local communities.

Reader comments and input are always welcomed!