Gland VD – A total of 27 of the world’s most influential conservation organizations have joined forces to form the Nature Positive Initiative. Their goal is to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity. Full recovery is planned by 2050.
The Paris climate agreement calls for limiting global greenhouse gas emissions to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2050 compared to pre-industrial levels. Now, 27 of the world’s major conservation organizations, trade associations and other organizations have launched a campaign in Gland to advocate for a similar framework to protect flora and fauna.
Called the Nature Positive Initiative, the goal is to halt and reverse global biodiversity loss by 2030 compared to 2020, and to fully restore lost natural resources by 2050.
Founding members include the African Natural Capital Alliance, the World Conservation Union(IUCN), Nature Conservancy, Pew Charitable Trusts, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and WWF International.
“At last, there is recognition that reversing the loss of biodiversity is critical to maintaining the health of the planet and therefore the future of humanity,” said Nature Positive Initiative initiator and WWF International Director General Marco Lambertini in a media release. Organizers point out that biodiversity loss is a major contributor to the global climate crisis, animal-borne pandemics, and food and water insecurity.
However, the initiative’s founders added that the various stakeholders currently need to agree on a definition of “positive nature” and other concerns to ensure comparability in new measures to reverse biodiversity loss.
“It’s about becoming aware again that the human species is part of the web of life on the planet,” says André Hoffmann, president of InTent and Vice President of Roche. “We need to see nature as an opportunity to achieve our shared goal of inclusive, sustainable prosperity, not as a costly, growth-limiting burden.” His appeal: “Let’s bring collective energy use back within the limits of our planet and achieve full biodiversity recovery by 2050.” ce/jd
