Two years ago, delegates from almost 200 nations came together in Montreal, Canada, for the 15th Biodiversity COP. It was at this summit that a tremendous moment for nature took place. Hailed as the 'Paris Agreement for biodiversity', the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) was adopted, where governments of nations from across the globe agreed to ‘halt and reverse biodiversity loss and to put nature on a path to recovery’ by 2030.
Nestled within this Framework was a request for the Global Partnership for Plant Conservation (GPPC), to "prepare a set of complementary actions related to plant conservation to support the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework aligned with the final version of the framework" - AKA the third iteration of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC).
Putting Plants first
Plantlife, as a member of the GPPC since its inception over 20 years ago, wants to ensure that plants are not relegated to the green backdrop in favour of more charismatic wildlife. Plants and fungi need to be brought to the forefront and celebrated for the amazing value they bring to every aspect of life on Earth.
Since COP15, Plantlife, along with other members of the GPPC, has been working to produce this set of actions that align with the 4 Goals and 23 Targets of the KMGBF. The 22 Actions aim to address the conservation of all plants including wild plants, medicinal plants, and their wild relatives. This involves preventing extinctions, recovering wildlife populations and protecting and restoring ecosystems by the end of this decade.
Plants are a vital component of our planet’s biological diversity and are essential to all life on Earth. They form the basis of most terrestrial ecosystems and provide ecosystem services to support human well-being, including climate regulation and food security. Plants and their ecosystems have also influenced our cultural and spiritual development and are woven into languages, place names, religions and folklore across the world.
COP16: what happens next?
This week the world’s eyes turn to Cali, Colombia for the 16th CBD COP. It is at this summit that we will see the updated GSPC be adopted. This meeting will be vital; biodiversity loss is showing no signs of slowing down, extreme weather events are taking place globally, communities are being forced from their homes and the fourth mass coral bleaching event is taking place. We must make COP16 the moment we turn the tide on biodiversity loss. It must serve as a moment to fuel equitable action, foster collaborative solutions and see a clear path to halting and reversing nature loss by 2030.
What can you do?
Whether you are a government, global institution, NGO, company, educational institution, indigenous people and local communities, landowner, farmer or an individual, explore how you can include the newly proposed Global Plant Actions for the conservation of plants within your own programmes and activities. By working in partnership and supporting others to take action, we can help nature recover.
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