United Nations Summit on Biodiversity takes place
EnvironmentUlaanbaatar/MONTSAME/ In New York, the United Nations
Summit on Biodiversity has been convened by the President of the General
Assembly along with Heads of State and Government on September 30. The Summit has
highlighted the crisis facing humanity from the degradation of biodiversity and
the urgent need to accelerate action on biodiversity for sustainable
development.
Biodiversity is declining globally at unprecedented rates,
causing increased disastrous impacts on people and the planet. There is a
pressing need for intensive actions for species whose recovery cannot be
enabled through the reduction of threats or nature-based solutions. The UN
Decade on Biodiversity 2011-2020 is nearing conclusion, yet the progress
towards global biodiversity conservation targets, including those of the SDGs
has been largely insufficient. Consequently, there is a strong need to take
urgent action globally throughout the next decade to halt net biodiversity loss
and begin restoration for the benefit of the planet and people.
Mongolia is not an exception to the rapidly declining wildlife
and reduced biodiversity. UNDP Mongolia is jointly working with partners,
donors, and the Government of Mongolia through several projects to address the
challenges. UNDP BIOFIN project is providing potential solutions to mobilize
financing for biodiversity conservation through establishing a Conservation
Trust Fund, improving the effectiveness of the implementation of existing
public financing mechanisms through potentially introducing a pasture use fee
in Mongolia to save and protect the rangeland.
“Strengthening institutional and human resources capacity to
implement the Nagoya Protocol,” - UNDP’s global project in Mongolia supported
the development of draft legislation on Access to Genetic Resources and the
Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization that
should provide critically needed certainty in the use of genetic resources as
well as support investing in biodiversity-based research.
Lastly, the “Ensuring sustainability and resilience in green
landscapes of Mongolia “ project, jointly funded by Global Environmental
Facility and UNDP, is aiming to improve biodiversity conservation through the reduction
of various threats that are causing the extinction of globally important
species in Mongolia. The project is introducing multi-faceted solutions to
existing barriers of sustainable development in different
ecosystems
When biodiversity is degraded or lost, results are
disastrous for the greater web of life and increased risk of disease infection
from wildlife to people. Responses to the pandemic provide a unique opportunity
for transformative change as a global community in addressing the root causes
of biodiversity loss and ensuring that biodiversity and the contributions it
provides to all people are at the heart of sustainable development and the
fight against climate change. Thus, UNDP is calling for Urgent Action on
biodiversity and sustainable development – for people and for the planet.
Source: UNDP Mongolia