Experts stress importance of global biodiversity targets in Davos

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- Experts have underscored the importance of meeting the goals and targets of a landmark biodiversity agreement on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2023.

File photo: AFP

"A truly historical, ground-breaking, and landmark agreement," said Jane Nelson, director of the Corporate Responsibility Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School, on Thursday of the recent UN biodiversity deal.

Under the leadership of China, the deal, entitled Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, was adopted at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity last month, setting four long-term goals for 2050 and 23 global targets over the decade to 2030 for preserving nature.

According to the targets set by the framework, by 2030, at least 30 percent of degraded terrestrial, inland water and coastal and marine ecosystems will be under effective restoration.

"When one considers that an estimated only 17 percent of lands and less than 8 percent of marine areas are currently protected, this is an ambitious goal, but it's doable," she said.

There were plenty of discussions during the Davos week concerning how a company can achieve net-zero emissions and become nature-positive, Katell Le Goulven, executive director of the Hoffmann Global Institute for Business and Society, told Xinhua.

"It is very important because this global framework asks companies to report and disclose the risk exposure to nature and their dependency on nature," she stressed.

Time sensitivity is crucial, said Peter Fearnhead, chief executive officer of African Parks, a non-governmental organization focused on conservation.

Considering governance challenges in some countries, poverty levels in Africa and growing populations, the world must succeed in achieving the 2030 targets, Fearnhead said at a session of the WEF annual meeting.