The Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, on behalf of the Government of Spain, has participated in the IX plenary meeting of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), held in Bonn (Germany) between July 3 and 9.
IPBES is an independent intergovernmental body created in 2012 with the aim of assessing the state of biodiversity and ecosystem services for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity.
Among the main conclusions reached by the Platform is the scientific evidence of the relationship between the global crisis of biodiversity loss and the way in which society values and considers biodiversity in political and economic decision-making.
For this reason, the report highlights the importance of integrating the consideration of the values of nature, in all its diversity and not only of the market, as a key element to improve decision-making on the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. In this way, during the meeting, an evaluation of diverse values and valuation of nature was approved, which delves into the methods and approaches available to introduce the values of nature in decision-making, providing a conceptual framework for this.
SUSTAINABLE USE OF WILDLIFE
On the other hand, the assessment on the sustainable use of wild species, also adopted at this plenary meeting of IPBES, is also noteworthy. It confirms the importance of the sustainable use of wild species, both for biodiversity and for human well-being.
In this way, the use of wild species is recognized as an important source of income for billions of people in the world, both for their extractive uses – such as fishing, gathering, logging or capturing terrestrial animals – and for non-extractive practices, such as tourism based on wildlife observation.
The study examines the status and trends in the use of wild species, as well as the consequences and degree of sustainability of these uses, especially over the last 20 years. While the use of wild species has increased in recent decades in most cases, the sustainability of these uses has varied variably.
According to the report’s findings, the society uses about 50,000 wild species, of which more than 10,000 are used directly as human food. 70% of the world’s poor depend on wild species. One in five people depend on wild plants, algae and fungi for food and income; 2,400 million use wood as firewood for cooking; and of the 120 million people who work in capture fisheries, about 90% make a living from small-scale fisheries.
OVEREXPLOITATION OF WILD SPECIES
Overexploitation is one of the main threats to the survival of many terrestrial and aquatic wildlife. Thus, the study highlights that, globally, the survival of about 12% of wild tree species is at risk due to unsustainable logging; 34% of wild marine fish stocks are overexploited; Unsustainable harvesting is one of the main threats to several groups of plants; and unsustainable hunting has been identified as a threat to 1,341 species of wild mammals, and has also been frequently identified as a cause of negative impacts on bird species.
Global wildlife trade has increased significantly over the past few decades, and risks increasing the unsustainable use of wildlife if effective regulation is not ensured in all supply chains. In addition, according to the publication, international trade has also been recognized as an important and growing cause of the introduction of invasive alien species.
Thus, IPBES-9 stresses the need to address the causes of unsustainable use and reverse these trends, to improve the status of wildlife and the people who depend on them and, in particular, for poor people in rural communities in developing countries, who are more dependent on wildlife and are particularly vulnerable to their unsustainable use.
To this end, the study presents new approaches to promote the sustainable use of species, including the adoption of inclusive and participatory policies and the importance of monitoring and monitoring the status and trends of wild species and their use, as a fundamental issue to ensure their sustainability.
The report also examines some possible future scenarios regarding the use of wild species, which confirm that climate change, increased demand and technological advances are likely to bring some challenges for sustainable use in the future, due to the potential to increase the efficiency of many extractive practices. To address these challenges, the report proposes actions such as supporting small-scale fisheries or promoting the management and certification of multiple-use forests.
SPANISH PARTICIPATION
The Spanish delegation has actively participated in the IPBES-9 meetings, actively supporting the adoption of the two agreed assessments.
Spain has also contributed with leadership, among other aspects, to consolidate the path towards the realization of a new IPBES assessment on ecological connectivity, which could constitute an essential contribution to promote a better consideration of ecological connectivity in biodiversity conservation and restoration policies, through the review and consolidation of the knowledge base on this matter.
In addition, the representation of Spanish scientists at this meeting has been remarkable, especially for the role of Unai Pascual, professor at the Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3), who has co-led the assessment of diverse values and nature assessment, and has coordinated the writing of its summary for decision-makers and chaired the participation of the authors during the meeting.
Other Spanish experts have also been present at IPBES9, both as lead authors of the chapters of the approved assessments, and as observers, as is the case of the representatives of the Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), recognised as a Severo Ochoa centre.
SUPPORT FOR GOVERNMENTS AND INSTITUTIONS
The conclusions of the adopted assessments will be particularly useful in guiding negotiations at the upcoming Conferences of the Parties (COPs) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
Likewise, the information and evidence generated will support governments and institutions in the adoption of national policies at all levels, to promote sustainability in sectoral activities that involve the use of wild species.
Thus, for example, the document points out, among other issues, the importance of preventing non-extractive uses of wild species, such as nature tourism based on the observation of wild species, from damaging the ecosystem as a whole, an issue that this Ministry has been promoting for years through the implementation of the System for the recognition of the sustainability of nature tourism in the areas of the Natura 2000 Network.
Finally, significant progress has been made in the preparation of the initial analysis document for an assessment of the impacts and dependencies of companies’ biodiversity. This work will be of great relevance to continue promoting the work and results of the Spanish Business and Biodiversity Initiative, coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.
