Beyond the Aichi Targets: What does Nature need to conserve biodiversity? Cyril Kormos

1. Beyond the Aichi Targets: What does Nature need to conserve biodiversity? Cyril Kormos VP for Policy, The WILD Foundation Regional Vice-Chair North America and the Caribbean IUCN-WCPA cyril@wild.org

2. One can go into the woods, not for brushwood and not for mushrooms, for no reason, and hug two tree trunks: dear ones, you’re all I need. Alexander Solzhenitzyn BUT WHAT DOES NATURE NEED?

3. Thank You

4. A quick look back at global conservation targets.

5. Targets are a recent phenomenon Until 2004 there were no internationally agreed area-based targets for conservation. Though the 1987 Brundtland Commission report implied about 12% was needed. (Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future)

6. But we were keeping track of extent of coverage PAs even without targets… In 2003, extent of PA coverage was about 3.4% terrestrial, 0.45% marine. (Barber, C.V., Miller, K.R., Boness, M. Eds. Securing Protected Areas in the Face of Global Change: Issues and Strategies citing WDPA.)

7. But global concern over rapid loss of biodiversity eventually prompted calls for targets.

8. Decision V11/30 COP 7 2004 Kuala LumpurDecides to develop a framework … to achieve a significant reduction in the current rate of biodiversity loss at global, regional and national levels. Annex II Provisional framework for goals and targets Protect the components of biodiversity Goal 1. Promote the conservation of the biological diversity of ecosystems, habitats and biomes Target 1.1: At least 10% of each of the world's ecological regions effectively conserved. Target 1.2: Areas of particular importance to biodiversity protected

9. Decision X/2 COP 10 2010 Nagoya Strategic Plan for Biodiversity, Aichi Targets Target 11By 2020, at least 17 per cent of terrestrial and inland water, and 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services, are conserved through effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and well connected systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, and integrated into the wider landscapes and seascapes.

10. Some NGOs called for higher targets 25% Terrestrial, 15% Marine – CI, IUCN (others?).

11. Important to remember that the target is time-bound (2020).You can also make the case that the supporting language in the targets actually calls for more conservation than the percentage required.

12. But these targets are not science-based. To a large extent these targets are a reflection of what the international community decided was a politically realistic outcome. They do not reflect biodiversity/ecosystem conservation needs, but rather what was deemed politically achievable at the time of the CBD COP meeting.

13. So as we have seen there has been a dramatic increase in PA designations…

14. Coverage of Protected Areas 1911-2011

15. Growth of National Protected Areas1911-2011

16. How much is enough? What should the PA target be?

17. The news is terrible: our work to save the planet’s biodiversity / ecosystems is not going well.

18. Biodiversity loss continues. • 31 indicators of the state of biodiversity showed declines since 2002 goal set under CBD, with no significant recent reductions in rate of extinction, • all indicators of pressures on biodiversity increased. Global Biodiversity: Indicators of Recent Declines Stuart H. M. Butchart, et al Science Express April 29,2010:

19. Habitat Loss continues Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005 Finding #1: Over the past 50 years, humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively than in any comparable period of time in human history, largely to meet rapidly growing demands for food, fresh water, timber, fiber, and fuel. This has resulted in a substantial and largely irreversible loss in the diversity of life on Earth.

20. Climate Change “ The resilience of many ecosystems is likely to be exceeded this century by an unprecedented combination of climate change, associated disturbances (e.g., flooding, drought, wildfire, insects, ocean acidification), and other global change drivers (e.g., land use change, pollution, overexploitation of resources).” * N [4.1 to 4.6] Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: Climate Change 2007, Impacts Adaptation and Vulnerability, Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2007.

21. Human Population concentrations at the end of the 19th century: Source: Tanton, 1995

22. 6.6 billion in 2005, and rising to 8 billion by 2025.

23. To answer the question “how much do we need to protect?” we first must ask: “how much do ecosystems need to continue to maintain all of their functions?” (i.e. full function = maintain all ecosystem types, viable populations of all native species, ecological and evolutionary processes, resilience.)

24. About 50% Cont’d. Noss et al., 2012. Bolder Thinking for Conservation, Editorial in Conservation Biology Volume 26, No. 1, 2012.

25. A CONSERVATION VISION FOR A CROWDED PLANET A call to action… To protect and interconnect at least half of the planet’s land and waters in order to sustain all life on Earth

26. A call to action… to protect and interconnect at least half of the planet’s land and water in order to sustain all life on Earth. Patricio Robles Gil

27. NECESSARY, POSSIBLE, CHALLENGING

28. An Aspirational Goal

29. Protected Areas Work

30. How Does it Work?

31. Canada Canada has been a leader in adopting Nature Needs Half in different parts of the country.

32. “ • all native ecosystem types must be represented in protected areas; • 2) populations of all native species must be maintained in natural patterns of abundance and distribution; • 3) ecological processes must be maintained; and • 4) the resilience to short-term and long-term environmental change must be maintained. Achieving these objectives requires an extensive interconnected network of protected areas and sustainable management of the surrounding areas. Reviews of previous conservation planning initiatives provide further direction by indicating that protected areasshould cover in the range of half of the landscape to achieve the objectives listed above. The Canadian Boreal 1,500 scientists , more than 50 countries call for protection of about half of Canada’s Boreal Forest (May 2007):

33. Quebec - Plan Nord

34. Namibia map courtesy WWF Namibia

35. Namibia • 42% of Namibia’s total land area is protected. • With the recent designation of Dorob National Park in 2010, Namibia became the first and only country in the world to formally protect its entire coastline • Namibia additionally designated 12,000 km2 of its marine environment as a Marine Protected Area (MPA) • Also collaborated with South Africa to create a transboundary protected area (ǀAi-ǀAis/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park)

36. Costa Rica • 26.2% of Costa Rica’s total terrestrial land area is protected. • Total of 169 protected areas. • Currently 17.5% of its territorial waters are designated as MPA’s. • Has been working to designate priority conservation areas and to establish biological corridors between its protected areas

37. WILD10 4-10 October 2013

38. WILD10 --- THREE MAIN PILLARS

39. WELCOME TO WILD10! info@wild10.org

40. Thank you