Delegates from across the African continent began discussions in Rwanda on Monday at the first African congress on the role of protected areas in the future of the planet.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) African Protected Areas Congress, ICCA, is taking place a few months ahead of COP15 Biodiversity in December in Montreal, which is to adopt a global framework for better protect nature ravaged by human activities, by 2050, with a stage in 2030.
Protected areas are essential to the survival of the planet, IUCN Director General Bruno Oberle said on the first day of talks in the Rwandan capital, Kigali. They must continue until July 23 and bring together some 2,000 participants.
And the more we manage them for the benefit of people and nature, the more we will build a future where everyone, whether person or animal, can thrive, he added on Twitter.
According to the organizers, the ICCA aims to define the role of protected areas in safeguarding Africa’s iconic wildlife and providing vital ecosystem services, as well as promoting sustainable development while preserving cultural heritage and the traditions of the continent.
«It is high time that African lawmakers put in place strong measures and strategies to ensure that the destruction of our rich biodiversity is halted», said Rwandan Prime Minister Édouard Ngirente.
Last month, the 196 members of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) met in Nairobi to prepare for COP15 biodiversity, but while some progress has been made, important work remains to be done. here December.
Time is running out, as states have failed to deliver on their commitments over the past decade and the degradation of the environment, which provides drinking water, air and food, continues at a breakneck pace.
It is a question of protecting at least 30% of the land and oceans by 2030, of reducing plastic and agricultural pollution, or even of ensuring the proper implementation of the objectives adopted.
Although a broad coalition of countries support the goal of protecting at least 30% of the globe and the leaders of 93 countries pledged in September 2020 to end the biodiversity crisis, this theme is struggling to gain traction. on the international political agenda at the same level as the climate.
