Statement on the 2020 UN Global Biodiversity Outlook 5

Arlington, Va. (Sept. 15, 2020) – Conservation International’s Vice President of International Policy Lina Barrera issued the following statement in response to the release of the United Nation’s Global Biodiversity Outlook 5 report today:

“We have faced unprecedented global challenges this past year and while it is promising to see that there has been conservation progress, there is still much more that needs to be done. Through the pandemic, we have experienced first-hand just how connected we are to the wellbeing of the planet. To prevent future pandemics, mitigate climate change and sustain the services that nature provides – water, food and income – we have to protect the nature we all rely on.

“Conservation International agrees with the eight steps outlined in the report and needed to transform our relationship to nature at the scale necessary to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the aims of the Paris Agreement.

“In the next 10 years, we need to protect and conserve at least 30% of land and 30% of ocean, prioritizing areas that are most important for providing nature’s contributions to people such as food, clean water, pandemic prevention and a stable climate. For example, conserving areas with irrecoverable concentrations of carbon will help slow global warming while at the same time keeping the forests many species call home intact. Additionally, establishing more marine protected areas will keep the ocean’s biodiversity in balance while ensuring fisheries continue to provide food and job opportunities to the people who depend on them. Everything is connected.

“Setting aside areas for conservation is one solution to managing the biodiversity crisis, but the most important thing we need to do is address the fundamental aspects of our economy and society that drive biodiversity loss.

 “Essentially, the Global Biodiversity Outlook shows that efforts to address the current environmental crisis are most successful when the value of nature is integrated into our economic systems and decisions. The time is now to make green investments that will help solve some of the most pressing global environmental crises we face today – species loss, increased natural disasters, pandemics and climate change.

“Conservation International is already committed to supporting these efforts and will continue to focus on preserving biodiversity and nature for the wellbeing of people into and beyond the next decade.”

About Conservation International

Conservation International works to protect the critical benefits that nature provides to people. Through science, partnerships and fieldwork, Conservation International is driving innovation and investments in nature-based solutions to the climate crisis, supporting protections for critical habitats, and fostering economic development that is grounded in the conservation of nature. Conservation International works in 30 countries around the world, empowering societies at all levels to create a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable planet. Follow Conservation International's work on Conservation News, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.