About one million species are facing extinction. We must take more proactive approaches to preserving biodiversity.

With temperatures reaching record highs every year, more frequent floods and draughts, and unstoppable forest fires, plant and animal habitats have been disrupted and destroyed. Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has stated that approximately one million species are now at risk of extinction.

Facing such an emergency, the UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP15) was originally set to take place in Kunming, China this year to propose new global biodiversity goals. However, due to the Covid-19 outbreak, it was pushed back to next year. To provide an overall review on this issue, the Global Biodiversity Outlook 5 (GBO-5) has been published based on the Aichi Targets, which were set by countries ten years ago.

All biodiversity goals unfulfilled with only partial results
Disappointingly, only 7 out of 60 sub targets have been achieved (blue and green), and more than half of them need improvement (yellow). Some sub targets are even labeled as having no progress at all. However, the report shows that for target 11, which aims at increasing and improving protect areas, the percentage of protected areas is now around 1.5 times higher. Also, for target 12, which focuses on preventing extinction, there has also been some progress. The previous conservation work has saved almost a hundred species and prevented them from disappearing completely.

30 x 30 goal to revive nature
Globally 64 leaders gathered to establish the “30 x 30 Goal,” promising to protect 30% of the world’s land and oceans. Currently, the percentage of the world’s protected oceans is only 7%, far from the 30% goal. Also, almost 61% of the oceans are beyond national jurisdiction. In order to achieve the 30 x 30 Goal, there must be marine protected areas (MPAs) set up in international waters.