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Spotlight on nature and biodiversity

Ocean Image Bank/Gregory Piper

Nature is humanity’s lifeline. Human health, food, economies and well-being depend on nature. Yet nature is in crisis. One million of the world’s estimated 8 million species of plants and animals are threatened with extinction. Meanwhile, ecosystem degradation is affecting the well-being of 40 per cent of the global population.

The spotlight on nature and biodiversity highlights updates from around the UN System, from partners and others, helping to call attention to the need for a just, prosperous and sustainable future for all.

08 Oct 2024 15:18

How the DRC is protecting forests and maintaining livelihoods

The Congo Basin contains the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest, spanning about 3.7 million square kilometres and covering a tenth of Africa. Some 60 per cent of the rainforest in the Congo Basin is in the DRC. 

This vast ecosystem is home to an array of plants and animals, including the iconic mountain gorilla. It also removes planet-warming carbon from the atmosphere and stores it, preventing the element from heating the planet.

The UN-REDD Programme a partnership between the UN Environment Programme, UN Development Programme, and Food and Agriculture Organization, is designed to reduce deforestation and forest degradation. 

Last updated at
04 Oct 2024 14:13

COP16: Time to make peace with nature – A global effort to tackle biodiversity

Panel discussion on nature

The Embassy of Colombia in Belgium, the European Commission’s Directorate General for Environment, UNEP and UNDP organized a panel discussion on the current state of biodiversity, priorities and expected results of COP16 set to take place in Cali, Colombia.

The panelists underlined the need for private investments and stressed the importance of including indigenous communities in conservation agendas.

“Making peace with nature is essential - it needs a whole of society's effort and nature has for too long been the forgotten element in our decision making,” said Bruno Pozzi, Deputy Director of the Ecosystems Division of UNEP.

Last updated at
02 Oct 2024 11:47

The environment is fundamental to human health

The 8th One Health Congress just wrapped up in Cape Town, South Africa where scientists, policymakers, representatives of international institutions, civil society and the private sector gathered to discuss ways to advance the One Health approach.  

One Health is based on the principle that you cannot have healthy people in an unhealthy environment and that the health of humans, animals and ecosystems are deeply intertwined. 

Later this month at COP16 in Cali, Colombia, a draft Biodiversity and Health Action Plan will be presented for Member States to adopt. 

Last updated at
30 Sep 2024 10:34

Wildfires consume the Pantanal, the largest tropical wetland in the world

Fire fighters battle wildfires

Photo: IBAMA/ASCOM 

Since May, wildfires have ravaged across Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay and Peru as drought has created tinderbox-like conditions. The wildfires have been particularly devastating to the Pantanal, the largest tropical wetland in the world and a key warehouse of planet-warming carbon. 

Stretching across three South American countries — Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay — the Pantanal supports millions of people and is home to a large concentration of rare wildlife, such as crocodiles, jaguars and the hyacinth macaw, the biggest parrot on the planet. 

Wetlands are some of the planet’s most important ecosystems. They are a haven for wildlife, they filter pollution and they’re important stores of carbon.

Globally, the risk of extreme wildfires could increase 30 per cent by 2050 as result of climate change and what are known as land use changes, which include, slash-and-burn agriculture, found a UNEP 2022 report.

Last updated at
26 Sep 2024 13:40

Restoration Day at COP 16

Promotional graphic for an event titled Restoration Day. The graphic features vibrant images of nature, including landscapes, waterways, and possibly wildlife, emphasizing themes of biodiversity and restoration.

Restoration Day on 30 October is the prime meeting place of the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 16) for ecosystem restoration. It will bring together leaders, experts, and advocates worldwide to discuss and advance the cause of ecosystem restoration. The event will explore innovative solutions for finance and monitoring, share best practices and guidance on implementation, and build partnerships to accelerate progress towards the ambitious goals of the Global Biodiversity Framework, National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

Take advantage of this chance to be part of a global movement to heal our planet. Register here to confirm your presence.

Last updated at
16 Sep 2024 18:00

Now online: COP 16 side events

A meerkat standing upright on a rock.
Credit: Unsplash/Hugo Herrera

 

The official list of the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 16) is now available online.

COP 16 will be the first Biodiversity conference since the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework at COP 15 in December 2022 in Montreal, Canada.

At COP 16, governments will review the state of implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Last updated at
06 Sep 2024 10:55

UN launches first-ever live map of large mammal migrations

🚨Groundbreaking online map launched🚨 @BonnConvention and @migratinghooves, with a team of 8️⃣0️⃣ international scientists, launch the Atlas of Ungulate Migrations, an interactive tool showing migration paths of hooved mammals (or ungulates) 🌐🦓🦌

🔗 https://t.co/cNYvWKjDYd pic.twitter.com/mg0GxfmoOs

— UNEP-WCMC (@unepwcmc) September 4, 2024

Last updated at
03 Sep 2024 13:45

In the DRC, new sustainable agroforestry framework bolsters finance, climate adaptation

Protecting forests is important to improving global air quality. New research shows that, besides storing carbon and removing ozone and particulate matter from the air, trees serve as a net sink of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that pollutes the air.

UNEP is working with the Democratic Republic of the Congo to enable sustainable agroforestry, which provides myriad benefits to the environment, health and economy.

Last updated at
28 Aug 2024 15:06

The Caribbean island nation at the forefront of the climate litigation push

Countries most affected by climate change—as well as citizens and non-profit groups—are increasingly turning to courts to compel governments and fossil fuel producers to address the climate crisis. 

One Caribbean island nation, Antigua and Barbuda, is at the forefront of this push. It has backed a UN General Assembly resolution requesting the International Court of Justice to weigh in on the obligations of states in respect of climate change.  

This video explains how climate change is affecting Antigua and Barbuda and why the country is using the international court and tribunal system to gain redress.

Last updated at
19 Aug 2024 13:09

Seven years of the Minamata Convention fighting toxic mercury and trade

Since the ratification of the Minamata Convention on Mercury in August 2017, its Parties have been making efforts to tackle the pressing issues surrounding toxic mercury. This highly hazardous chemical, found in many sectors, from skin-lightening cosmetics to artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), poses serious risks to both human health and the environment.

Watch the 7th anniversary video of the Convention covering pressing issues surrounding toxic mercury, with a special focus on the visit of the Secretariat of the Minamata Convention to the Philippines in early June.

Last updated at
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Related Sustainable Development Goals

Goal 1

Goal 1: No Poverty
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Goal 2

Goal 2: Zero Hunger
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Goal 3

Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being
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Goal 6

Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
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Goal 8

Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
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Goal 12

Goal 12: Sustainable Consumption and Production
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Goal 13

Goal 13: Climate Action
+

Goal 14

Goal 14: Life Below Water
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Goal 15

Goal 15: Life on Land
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