Fiji has expressed significant concern regarding the ambition and quality of the revised National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plan (NBSAP) currently being developed. At the Opening Plenary of the COP16 for the Convention on Biological Diversity, Dr. Sivendra Michael, Permanent Secretary for Environment, emphasized the urgent need to address the impending risk of ecosystem collapse. He noted the necessity of delivering action through the CBD and reminded attendees of the commitment to mobilize $20 billion annually by 2025. However, he pointed out the substantial shortfall in financial resources allocated to developing countries for supporting conservation and restoration initiatives.
Dr. Michael stated that unlocking financing is crucial for advancing collective efforts in biodiversity protection. He called upon all Parties to work towards overcoming obstacles to action, warning that failure to do so could lead to irreversible losses. He highlighted that commitments to fund biodiversity protection have been limited over the past year and a half, complicating attempts to achieve global biodiversity objectives.
He further stressed that the lack of financial mobilization, coupled with inadequate national actions, jeopardizes the necessary progress to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030. Dr. Michael asserted that COP16 must produce outcomes that catalyze immediate global actions to counteract the ongoing destruction of nature and the unsustainable pressures on the environment.
Fiji remains dedicated to this global target and has submitted its revised national biodiversity objectives while aligning its NBSAP with the global biodiversity framework. He concluded by stating the importance of taking prompt actions to not only halt but also reverse the biodiversity crisis by 2030, as collectively agreed upon in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
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