Fiji has expressed significant concern regarding the goals and effectiveness of the revised National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plan (NBSAP) that is currently being developed. During the Opening Plenary of COP16 for the Convention on Biological Diversity, Dr. Sivendra Michael, the Permanent Secretary for Environment, stressed the urgent threat of ecosystem collapse and the necessity for decisive action through the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). He reminded attendees of the commitment to mobilize $20 billion annually by 2025 and pointed out the disappointing shortfall in funding that has been directed towards developing countries for the protection and restoration of biodiversity.
Dr. Michael emphasized that financing is crucial for implementing the necessary actions and urged all parties to make strides in overcoming existing barriers at the conference in Cali. He warned that failing to take action could lead to irreversible losses in biodiversity. He noted that new financial commitments for biodiversity protection have been limited over the past year and a half, further hindering efforts to achieve global biodiversity targets.
He also highlighted that inadequate financial mobilization, coupled with a lack of national initiatives, jeopardizes the progress needed to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity by 2030. Dr. Michael insisted that COP16 must yield meaningful outcomes that can prompt essential global action to combat the ongoing destruction of natural ecosystems and the trends that threaten their survival.
Fiji remains dedicated to global biodiversity targets and has submitted its revised national biodiversity objectives while working to align its NBSAP with the global biodiversity framework. He stated, “It is critical that we take bold action to not only halt but also reverse the crisis of biodiversity loss by 2030, as agreed upon in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.”
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