When we look at our stunning deep blue world from the space, it seems we are able to see no boundaries. There is no distinction between our environment and nature, or between people and nature. We only see our one fragile, shared home in all the space. But when we attempt to manage the Earth's resources, ensure its diversity of life and secure our futures, we often do not understand the environment, climate, and human health as if they operate independently. They are not. It's time we recognize and leverage these fundamental connections in order to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and build a nature-climate-people-positive future.
World Oceans Day, June 8th, is at the end of an important year for the earth and for humans. In the next few weeks, delegations from more than 200 countries will meet in Nairobi to further refine an international biodiversity plan for post 2020 within the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and then in Lisbon to host the 2nd UN Ocean Conference, aiming to increase commitments and goals to protect the environment, sustainably utilization and investments in a healthy global ecosystem. These are crucial discussions in which businesses, governments and civil society are expected to define goals and strategies to stop and stop the decline of nature and create the opportunity to create radical and integrated solutions that encompass oceans, biodiversity and climate accords.
These goals will establish an outline. If they're ambitious and supported by concrete promises to achieve them the human race can restore its natural balance and ensure a sustainable future. If they do not meet the mark and only offer incremental changes then we'll end up lost in the rough seas. Our ocean could be an ally of immense power when we take the right route. Through all the time of humanity the ocean has maintained our climate balanced and fed communities, facilitated the development of trade and economic growth as well as provided habitat for an amazing range of species.
It will continue to provide all these benefits by integrating ocean protection and management into the global frameworks on biodiversity and climate that were established through the Paris Agreement and CBD, and ensure the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. As co-focals for the UN Community of Ocean Action for the Marine and Coastal Ecosystems Management We strive to advocate for a range of different, region-based actions that are able to sustainably manage, safeguard the marine ecosystems. With the help of the creation of a new global biodiversity framework that we are hoping to ensure that there is a clear recognition of the benefits ocean ecosystems provide to an efficient, happy as well-being society.
Habitats like mangroves coral reefs, seagrass along with coastal wetlands play an important part to ensure the stability of the economic as well as natural systems when faced with extreme events as well as the other effects of climate changes. Estimates of the worth of mangroves for flood risk reduction are more than $65 billion annually and, if mangroves were to disappear or were destroyed fifteen million more people would be affected by flooding each year all over the world. The ocean is the world's largest carbon storage. For each square meter seagrass meadows and salt marshes, and mangrove forests can be more effective storage sites of carbon than the tropical forest and even though coastal wetlands make up just less than 3 percent of the terrestrial forest coverage they are able to sequester the same amount of organic carbon every year. These coastal and marine ecosystems are also the foundation of fisheries that provide more than the three billion population with their main source of protein, by creating the necessary habitats for those who eventually catch then sold and consumed.
As a result these ecosystems "pay" for their protection by generating social and economic benefits providing triple bottom-line advantages in the areas of nutrition, mitigation , and resilience. These benefits have contributed to bringing the ocean onto the agenda of international forums increasing the number of companies and countries supporting the idea of a world that is more natural by 2030. Area-based conservation and inclusive, effective community-based management viewed as crucial instruments to help advance the cause. This is reflected in strong commitments to actions, such as such as those that are made through the G7 Nature Compact and through the Leaders' Pledge to People.
Yet, governments haven't reached their CBD Aichi Biodiversity Target of 10 percent marine protected areas coverage by the year 2020. there is a gap for ensuring marine protected areas (MPAs) are efficient fair, equitable, and connected. We therefore, encourage and expect the parties of the CBD to reach a consensus on ambitious new goals and a myriad of exciting new commitments that will be made at Lisbon however, they are to be anchored by plans for their implementation. These include funding, capacity building as well as technology transfer and guaranteeing transparency and inclusivity. Financial institutions and governments should intensify their investment in the type of ambitious comprehensive, inclusive, and integrated solutions needed to achieve those Sustainable Development Goals. Strengthening the links to the marine environment, biodiversity, and climate could lead to an environment where the ocean is healthy and remains the motor of our single amazing planet.
Source: cgtn.com
