After more than four years of negotiations, 190 countries have signed an agreement to put 'humanity on a path to living in harmony with nature by the middle of the century’.
While climate change attracts the most headline attention, biodiversity loss tends to be overlooked. The 15th UN Biodiversity Conference was a chance for governments from around the world to agree on a set of targets to address the biodiversity crisis.
It is vital we protect the natural world and its ecosystems. We rely on natural resources for survival itself – water, food, and air. And protecting biodiversity also contributes to countering climate change – nature-based solutions, and conserving our green spaces help to sequester and store carbon.
Key commitments of COP15
- Conserving 30% of land and water by 2030
- Maintaining, enhancing and restoring ecosystems.
- Sustainable and equitable use of nature and biodiversity.
- Protecting Indigenous peoples – advancing their conservation models
- Putting resources into biodiversity: Ensuring that money and conservation efforts get to where they are needed.
- $30bn of aid for biodiversity by the end of the decade.
- Governments must ensure that large and transnational companies disclose their risks, dependencies and impacts on biodiversity.
This last point means that businesses need to start paying attention to the impact their operations have on biodiversity. They must go beyond greenhouse gas reduction targets and start to consider the impact they have on air and water quality, soil, and surrounding ecosystems. These nature-related disclosures need to be measured, monitored and reported on.
At Ecus we have multi-disciplinary experience and expertise across the UK to help our clients assess how their work impacts the environment and biodiversity. We’ve spent many years advising on Biodiversity Net Gain, and we remain at the forefront of new guidance and legislation that impacts how your business can operate. We believe in working with clients to protect the delicate balance between development and nature, and we all have a responsibility to ensure we live in harmony with our planet and its ecosystems.
If you’d like more information about environmental impact, and setting biodiversity targets, please get in touch.
