BBC reports that nations have agreed to protect a third of the planet for nature by 2030 in an”historic” deal aimed at safeguarding biodiversity.
There will also be targets for protecting vital ecosystems such as rain-forests and wetlands and the rights of indigenous peoples.
The agreement at the COP15 UN biodiversity summit in Montreal, Canada, came early on Monday (19) morning.
The summit had been moved from China and postponed due to Covid.
China, which was still in charge of the meeting, brought down the gavel on the deal despite a last minute objection from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The main points of the agreement include:
- Maintaining, enhancing and restoring ecosystems, including halting species extinction and maintaining genetic diversity
- “Sustainable use” of biodiversity – essentially ensuring that species and habitats can provide the services they provide for humanity, such as food and clean water
- Ensuring that the benefits of resources from nature, like medicines that come from plants, are shared fairly and equally and that indigenous peoples’ rights are protected
- Paying for and putting resources into biodiversity: Ensuring that money and conservation efforts get to where they are needed. (picture credit BBC)