What are the Aichi goals and which ones have accomplished so far?

Story by: Jorge Rodriguez Translated by: Alejandra Palencia jue 22, Oct 2020

In 2010, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) listed 20 goals that the countries were engaged to completed in a 10- year timeframe, with the intention to heal the climate crisis that we currently live, and reduce the loss of biodiversity and the ecosystems of our planet.

Biodiversity awareness, integration of the values of natural life into the planning of growth of human societies, sustainable work of fishing industry and reducing pollution, are just a few objectives of the Strategic plan for Biological Diversity (known as Aichi Goals)

From 2010, according to the Worldwide perspective about Biological Biodiversity (GBO-5) report, published by the Biological Biodiversity Agreement (CDB), six of the goals showed partial acomplishments, such as the increase in protected areas (which moved from 10% to at least 15% in land areas and from 3% to 7% in marine areas) also protecting essential areas for biodiversity also moved from 29% to 44% within these 10 years.

Another important accomplishment was the ratification of the Nagoya Protocol, which regulates the birth of genetic resources and promotes a fair share of their benefits, by 87 countries of the world. Also, the report stands out, that up to today, around 170 countries updated their national plans so that they remain with the objectives of the Aichi Goals. In the same line, the report reveals that the available financial resources for biological diversity have doubled through international cooperation.

Partial achievements and threat for human health

aichi-goals

The protection of biodiversity is one of the main objectives of the Aichi goals. Photo: Jorge Rodríguez / Viatori

Due to the fact that the fifth report is about the world´s biological biodiversity, refers to the achievements that had accomplished in the last decade, truth is that none of them reached it as was stipulated in the plan.

The efforts to restore and conserve biodiversity are key to mitigate the effects of climate change, as to revert it, because the loss of species can accelerate the process of degradation of weather, human health and food security.

“Since the turn of the millennium SARS, MERS, H1N1, ZIKA and EBOLA have shown the growing onset of the virus that make the zoonotic leap from animals to humans,” explained Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, General Director of the World Health Organization (WHO). The official alerted that COVID-19 has shown that the world was no prepared and that populations should start living with precautions.

In conclusion, the worldwide efforts should be focus in changing current economic and social system, due to the fact that the extractive model have proved to be dangerous to our planet.

“We should speed up and collaborate to obtain positive results for our nature: conserve, restore and use biodiversity in a fair and sustainable way. If we don´t take action now, the use of soil and ocean, extra activity, climate change, pollution and exotic species will be terrible affected” concluded the report.

 

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