Biodiversity in grave danger: what can be done in 2020?

Taking action to stem biodiversity loss was the focus of several events, reports and activities in January, important reminders that 2020, the “Super Year” for nature is a real opportunity to stop and indeed reverse ecological devastation.

While all the data is telling us that the planet is heating up at an unsustainable rate, Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, the acting executive secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, warns that “humanity will have given up on planet Earth if world leaders cannot reach an agreement this year to stop the mass extinction of wildlife and destruction of life-supporting ecosystems.”

Mrema was discussing a key challenge before global leaders this year: how to better plan and implement measures to avert biodiversity loss and put development on a sustainable pathway in the coming decade.

The “zero draft text” of the Convention on Biological Diversity post-2020 global biodiversity framework was released to the public on 13 January 2020.

“The document starts the conversation towards a new and ambitious plan for nature for the next 10 years and beyond,” says Max Gomera, a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) expert.

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