The Convention on Global Biodiversity has published its third assessment of the current state of biodiversity. It finds that the target agreed by the world’s Governments in 2002, “to achieve by 2010 a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national level as a contribution to poverty alleviation and to the benefit of all life on Earth”, has not been met. The Outlook warns that natural systems that support economies, lives and livelihoods across the planet are at risk of rapid degradation and collapse, unless there is swift, radical and creative action to conserve and sustainably use the variety of life on Earth. It says that we may be at risk of reaching ‘tipping points’, after which ecosystems shift to alternative, less productive states from which it may be difficult or impossible to recover. Potential tipping points analyzed for GBO-3 include:

• The dieback of large areas of the Amazon forest,.
• The shift of many freshwater lakes and other inland water bodies to eutrophic or algae-dominated states.
• Multiple collapses of coral reef ecosystems.

The Outlook argues, however, that such outcomes are avoidable if effective and coordinated action is taken to reduce the multiple pressures being imposed on biodiversity. The document notes that the linked challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change must be addressed by policymakers with equal priority and in close co-ordination, if the most severe impacts of each are to be avoided. Conserving biodiversity and the ecosystems it underpins can help to store more carbon, reducing further build-up of greenhouse gases; and people will be better able to adapt to unavoidable climate change if ecosystems are made more resilient with the easing of other pressures. The Outlook outlines a possible new strategy for reducing biodiversity loss which includes addressing the underlying causes or indirect drivers of biodiversity loss, such as patterns of consumption, the impacts of increased trade and demographic change. Ending harmful subsidies would also be an important step. GBO-3 sets out a number of elements that could be considered in a future strategy to reduce biodiversity loss. You can find the press release, a video on the findings, a ppt and more here. The summary is attached below.