NEW YORK, NY (September 22, 2022) – Moving from endorsement to action, the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People (HAC N&P) announced last Tuesday, September 20th, that its members will work together to ease the implementation of the ambitious global target aiming at protecting or conserving at least 30% of the Planet’s land and ocean by 2030 as soon as the forthcoming global biodiversity framework is adopted.
At the Countdown to COP15: Landmark Leaders’ Event for a Nature-Positive World event on the margins of the 77th United Nations General Assembly, Minister André Tinoco on behalf of President Rodrigo Chaves Robles of Costa Rica, the co-chairs Mrs Bérangère Couillard, French Minister of state in charge of Ecology, Hon. Lord Zac Goldsmith, the UK Minister for Asia, Energy, Climate and Environment at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on behalf of the United Kingdom, and the members of the coalition have agreed to maintain a focus on the “30×30” target beyond COP15 and support its implementation via a new phase of the Coalition, known as HAC 2.0.
While still working to ensure that the 30×30 target is enshrined in a global agreement this December in Montreal at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP15), the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People is committing to support countries with concrete actions to establish new protected or conserved areas and improve the management of existing protected or conserved areas, as well as other effective conservation measures (OECMs). The Coalition is also committed to continue its permanent work with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities representatives to achieve the 30×30 target, recognizing the crucial role that they play in safeguarding nature and the importance of ensuring that protected and conserved areas align with human rights and wellbeing for people as well as biodiversity.
This Coalition affirmed that implementing the 30×30 target will be a priority. It unveiled a new structure and plan for how countries will work together. This approach will include capacity building, sharing best practices, mapping and matching fundings for 30×30 countries and projects, and providing scientific and technical support to help countries determine where and how to prioritize new conservation projects.
“This effort is essential to address the rampant loss of nature which poses a serious threat to the health and safety of all living species, and is one of the greatest systemic risks to our economies. This reflects the overwhelming agreement around the world on the importance of this ‘30×30’ target and underscores that taking concrete action can’t be delayed if we are to address biodiversity crisis that threatens up to one million species with extinction” said Mr. Arnoldo André Tinoco, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica.
“We need to convert biodiversity financial resources into action. That’s why we want the new HAC 2.0 to be a flexible platform connecting 30×30 projects managers and donors. This is a concrete way to implement the forthcoming global biodiversity framework. ” said Mrs Bérangère Couillard, French Minister of State in charge of Ecology.
“I am so pleased that this exceptionally important initiative has been launched today. With a short period of time until 2030, it is absolutely essential that we are able to support the implementation of ambitious new targets as soon as they are adopted after COP15. We have no time to lose. HAC 2.0 will help ensure this is possible.” Said Lord Goldsmith, UK Minister for Asia, Energy, Climate and Environment at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
The HAC was launched in January 2021 to advocate for the World to adopt the new science-based 30×30 target. Over 100 countries have since joined this intergovernmental coalition to ensure this target becomes a foundation of the global nature agreement that countries are set to finalize this December.
The most recent scientific contributions to the 6th assessment report of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) on “Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability”, further underscore the importance of the 30×30 target: the effective ecosystem conservation of approximately 30% to 50% of lands and oceans will be important to halt biodiversity loss, build ecosystem resilience but also tackle climate change by benefiting from nature’s capacity to absorb and store carbon.