UN seals treaty to protect threatened ecosystems

UN seals treaty to protect threatened ecosystems Nagoya, Japan: A historic treaty to protect the world's forests, coral reefs and other threatened ecosystems within 10 years was sealed at a UN summit on Saturday following nearly two weeks of intense diplomacy.



"This is extraordinary. This is going to give new impetus to the environmental cause," French Secretary of State for the Environment Chantal Jouanno told AFP as delegates were on the verge of adopting the protocol.


"I think it was a really important political exercise for the multilateral system," Brazil's Environment Minister Izabella Teixeira told AFP.

One of the most significant elements of the protocol was a commitment to protect 17 percent of land and 10 percent of coastal and marine areas so that biodiversity there thrived.



The 20-point plan also was not as ambitious as green groups had hoped, although many still welcomed it as a historic step towards united global action in tackling biodiversity problems and raising awareness about the issue.


Brazil, home to much of the Amazon basin and its global treasure trove of resources, had insisted throughout the two-week summit that it would not agree to the 20-point strategic plan unless there was also a deal on genetic riches.



The European Union led developing nations in finally agreeing to the so-called Access and Benefits Sharing Protocol to ensure success on the 20-point strategic plan.

The legally binding protocol will ensure countries with genetic resources enjoy some of profits of the assets' commercial development.


UN chiefs told the opening of the summit that forging a global consensus on protecting nature in Nagoya was vital to stop the mass extinction of animals and plant species that humans depend on to survive.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature warned last year the world was facing its sixth mass extinction phase, the last being 65 million years ago when dinosaurs vanished.


And with the world's human population expected to rise from 6.8 billion to nine billion by 2050, the UN, scientists and environment groups say humans must become better guardians of the environment or face catastrophe.

Bureau Report