Brussels, 07/10/2010 (Agence Europe) - A few weeks before the global conference in Nagoya, Japan, on 18-29 October, to agree the UN strategy to halt the loss of biodiversity in the next 10 years through concrete measures that form part of a longer term vision (to 2050), the European Parliament (EP) wants the European Union to invest financially in saving biodiversity and to play a leading role in international negotiations.
The task is great because commitments made by the international community in 2002 to significantly reduce the decline in biodiversity by 2010 have not been kept any more that the ambitious target of halting the decline by the same date to which the EU signed up.
The level of ambition of the resolution on the EU's main strategic objectives for Nagoya, adopted by a wide majority (502 votes to 22, with 41 abstentions) by the EP plenary session on Thursday 7 October, reflects the wish of MEPs for the EU to set the example in order to avoid a further fiasco.
“We are biting the hand that feeds us if we don not halt the loss of biodiversity. The EU must lead the fight to protect biodiversity at the UN Convention in Nagoya,” said Jo Leinen, chairman of the EO environment committee, lead committee on this issue.
In its resolution, the EP, extremely concerned by the failure of the international community and the EU, calls on the European Commission and member states to put financial commitments on the table that will give them the means to meet their ambitions, ahead of the Nagoya meeting. Global funding for biodiversity is in great need of more resources, MEPs stress, convinced that investment is necessary given the massive costs that biodiversity loss brings to the global economy (some €50 billion per year). These costs are set to rise considerably, according to scientific studies.
Parliament stresses the contribution of biodiversity and ecosystem services to development and to the realisation of the Millennium Development Goals. Aware that climate change and biodiversity loss are both causes of problems which put developing countries most at risk, MEPs call for the people of these countries to be compensated financially for the conservation work they have to undertake to protect disappearing species of flora and fauna.
For Nagoya, the EU must, according to the EP, negotiate to eliminate subsidies harmful to biodiversity, to end deforestation and destructive fishing practices, to protect at least 20% of land, fresh water and sea areas and to prevent the extinction of known threatened species.
The EP, which will send a delegation of 10 MEPs to Nagoya, stresses that the EU team for Nagoya must be well prepared and well coordinated to be able to argue a strong position.
The Environment Council of 14 October will also discuss the Nagoya objectives and will, in its conclusions, set out the EU negotiating mandate for this 10th conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. (A.N./transl.rt)