Delegates from the more than 170 countries meeting in Hyderabad (India) at the eleventh Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 11) are looking for ways to obtain financial funds to achieve the so-called Aichi Targets by 2020.

“The decisions taken here will lay the foundation for meeting the Aichi targets,” said India’s Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan.

At the previous COP, held in the Japanese city of Nagoya two years ago, the Parties approved the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, among which were the so-called Aichi Targets, which contemplate aspects such as raising public awareness of the importance of biological diversity, habitat loss, invasion of alien species, the sustainable use of fisheries, ecosystems and agriculture, as well as the access of indigenous peoples and local communities to resources.

The Indian minister insisted that “spending on biodiversity must be seen as a healthy investment for us and for future generations”, in an attempt to convince COP delegates of the importance of raising funds to preserve global biodiversity.