Miljø- og Fødevareudvalget 2019-20
MOF Alm.del Bilag 83
Offentligt
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Environment Council 19 December 2019
Preparation of the post 2020 global biodiversity framework
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
WWF recommendations
Summary
As the IPBES global assessment has clearly shown, we are facing an ecological emergency. The risks of
nature loss for humanity are alarming. Biodiversity loss is one of the most critical environmental threats
alongside climate change and the two are inextricably linked. Without addressing the rapid loss of
biodiversity, the world will struggle and likely fail to deliver on the Paris Agreement or to achieve the UN
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). And conversely without addressing climate change, actions to
tackle the loss of biodiversity are likely to fail.
Solutions however, do exist. The IPBES report makes it clear that it is possible to halt and reverse the
current negative trend of biodiversity loss and to achieve other societal goals, if we implement
transformative changes to address the indirect drivers of nature deterioration. The key challenge is to
raise political will and ambition to implement effectively the necessary actions.
In October 2020, the EU will take part in the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to
the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Kunming, China, where new global targets will be agreed
to replace the 2010 Aichi Biodiversity Targets.
The EU has the opportunity to become a champion for nature protection in the EU and globally, by
advocating for the adoption of a strong post 2020 global biodiversity framework at COP15 with an
ambitious mission to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 and a clear focus on strong
implementation and accountability mechanisms. This needs to be accompanied by coherent and
ambitious domestic action in order to be credible.
The Council conclusions to be adopted by Environment ministers should reflect the following
recommendations:
1. The EU must show leadership at the 2020 Conference of the Parties to the Convention on
Biological Diversity (CBD) by advocating for a strategic post-2020 global biodiversity framework
to halt biodiversity loss and restore nature by 2030, with strong implementation, ratcheting and
accountability mechanisms.
2. Credible EU leadership on global efforts to halt and reverse global biodiversity loss hinges on
coherent domestic action. This means committing to an ambitious and binding EU 2030
Biodiversity Strategy within the European Green Deal, including a legally binding restoration
initiative to tackle the intertwined climate and biodiversity crises.
 MOF, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 83: Henvendelse af 1/11-19 fra WWF Danmark om nye globale biodiversitetsmål efter 2020
The EU must show leadership at the CBD COP15 in 2020
The EU must show leadership at the CBD COP15 by advocating for a strategic post-2020 global
biodiversity framework to halt biodiversity loss and restore nature by 2030 with strong implementation,
ratcheting and accountability mechanisms.
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Nature loss is a societal challenge that requires action by all sectors of society, cross
departmental cooperation and action. Therefore,
endorsement
of the post-2020 global
biodiversity framework
at the highest political level
will be essential to instigate the
transformative change
required.
The post 2020 biodiversity framework should have as
2030 Mission:
“By 2030, halt the loss of
biodiversity and put nature on a path to recovery for the benefit of all people and the planet.”
This proposed Mission 2030 can serve as an
Apex goal:
It is SMART, actionable, ambitious and
inspiring but realistic, short and easily communicable to a wide range of audiences. It covers all
three CBD objectives and it represents a milestone toward the 2050 Vision.
The mission needs to be complemented by a small number of
SMART global Goals
that define
the desired state of nature and of nature’s attributions to people by 2030. WWF proposes to
include the following goals:
o
Zero loss of natural habitats
o
Zero human-induced extinction of species
o
50 percent reduction of the footprint of our production and consumption
The framework should
also include global targets
that drive actions by specific sectors and
actors, needed to deliver the global goals. Global targets need to define action on:
o
The direct and indirect drivers and levers for the transformative change required to
bend the curve of nature loss (focusing on the sectors
infrastructure, mining,
agriculture, forestry and fisheries)
o
The means of implementation and enabling conditions
(including resource mobilization,
regulation mainstreaming and governance)
It is critical that the post-2020 global biodiversity framework identifies clear steps and
mechanisms to ensure that the global goals and targets will be fully achieved. This entails a
strong implementation mechanism
containing the following components:
o
Pledging - through strengthened National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans
(NBSAPs),
o
Reviewing - through national reporting and stocktaking, and
o
Ratcheting - i.e. a regular uplift in action and ambition.
Resource mobilization and realignment of financial flows
o
The post-2020 global biodiversity framework cannot be successful without adequate
resources available, notably for developing country Parties. It is critical to define clear
provisions in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework for the development and
implementation of national biodiversity finance plans, greater involvement of the
private and productive sectors and the urgent phase-out of subsidies which are harmful
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 MOF, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 83: Henvendelse af 1/11-19 fra WWF Danmark om nye globale biodiversitetsmål efter 2020
to biodiversity as well as the need of redirecting financial flows and economic system
changes.
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Stakeholder engagement and mainstreaming across relevant sectors
o
Mechanisms to ensure consultation and engagement with and coordinated action by
key sectors, rights-holders and stakeholders and industries at different levels (global,
regional, national) must be part of the framework. This must include the development
of mainstreaming plans and the setting up or strengthening of multi-stakeholder, multi-
sectoral platforms.
Coherent domestic action: an ambitious and binding EU 2030 Biodiversity
Strategy in the EU Green Deal
The EU has had ambitious biodiversity targets in place for several decades now, but has consistently
failed to meet them, due to a lack of accountability and policy coherence.
The proposed biodiversity
strategy for 2030 must thus move away from voluntary commitments and instead set out legally
binding targets for the EU and its Member States.
It should lay out exactly how the EU and Member
States intend to halt the loss of terrestrial and marine biodiversity in the next five years and help restore
nature, both in the EU and globally, by 2030.
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The legally binding strategy should :
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Make full use of the existing EU environmental acquis and ensure Member States fully
implement existing nature laws and
o
Set binding targets where nature protection laws do not yet provide for any.
The 2030 EU Biodiversity Strategy should be guided by the following objectives:
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Ensuring that by 2030 all species protected under the Habitats Directive are in a
favourable or improved conservation status, and that all species protected under the
Birds Directive show a secure or improved status.
o
Bringing the vast majority of EU rivers, lakes, streams, wetlands, groundwater,
transitional and coastal waters back to good health by 2027 at the very latest, as set out
by the Water Framework Directive and in line with the zero pollution commitment
made by Ursula von der Leyen.
o
Achieving urgently the Good Environmental Status (GES) in EU marine waters
committed for 2020 and protecting the resource base upon which marine-related
economic and social activities depend, as set out by the Marine Strategic Framework
Directive. Over 40% of European citizens inhabit coastal areas and rely on healthy
marine ecosystems for their livelihood and supply in seafood.
o
Increasing the current target of 10% Marine Protected Areas to at least 30% by 2030
and guarantying the effective protection and management of all sites.
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The 2030 EU Biodiversity Strategy must include an ambitious
legally binding target to restore
degraded habitats by 2030,
through restoration of natural forests, peatlands, floodplains,
 MOF, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 83: Henvendelse af 1/11-19 fra WWF Danmark om nye globale biodiversitetsmål efter 2020
wetlands, biodiversity rich grasslands, coastal zones and marine areas.
Progress on target 2 of
the EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy, in which 15 % of degraded ecosystems should be restored,
has been largely insufficient. Therefore the European Green Deal and especially the 2030 EU
Biodiversity Strategy must set a concrete, specific ha/km
2
target on land and on sea to enhance
delivery of actions.
Large scale restoration of degraded habitats would contribute to a doubling
of EU carbon sinks by 2030 and would also improve resilience to the impacts of climate change.
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Given the fact that the EU represents only 7% of the world's population, but uses up almost 20%
of the global biocapacity,
increased action to tackle global biodiversity loss and to reduce the
EU’s global footprint needs to be an important focus of the 2030 EU Biodiversity Strategy.
We
call for
new legislation,
as part of broader EU action,
stopping products that lead to
deforestation, ecosystem destruction and human rights violations from being placed on the
EU market.
This will allow carbon dioxide to remain in the ocean, soil and vegetation, helping to
avoid further acceleration of climate change, and it will halt the destruction of valuable
ecosystems and the biodiversity they host.
The EU should provide substantial and increased support to partner countries and scale-up its
financial assistance, as part of a global
resource mobilisation
effort to tackle the global climate
and biodiversity crises. The ongoing negotiations of the MFF 2021-2027, notably of the
Neighbourhood Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI), provide a great
opportunity to scale up those efforts and demonstrate global leadership. In particular, the
adoption within NDICI of an ambitious and comprehensive target of 50% for climate and
environment related expenditure would be instrumental to achieve this.
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In order to show leadership and to stimulate other CBD Parties to come forward with ambitious
commitments, the EU should announce its commitments as soon as possible.