2010 Biodiversity Target
Awareness of the alarming decline of biodiversity has been rising sensibly over the past decades. As a consequence, governments and international organisations have taken ambitious commitments to find a solution to this worrying situation.
In April 2002, the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted its ‘Strategic Plan’, which includes the following statement:
“Parties commit themselves to a more effective and coherent implementation of the three objectives of the Convention, to achieve by 2010 a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national level as a contribution to poverty alleviation and to the benefit of all life on earth”.
The target set out for 2010 is commonly called the ‘2010 Biodiversity Target’. This objective has also been endorsed by the World Summit for Sustainable Development, which took place a few months later in Johannesburg, in September 2002.
The European Union has adopted an even more ambitious commitment, promising to
“Halt the loss of biodiversity by 2010”
Now that this deadline is approaching fast, it becomes more and more evident that it will be impossible to meet any of these international or European ambitions. Even though the visibility of biodiversity has increased on the political agenda, considerable efforts still need to be made to reverse the current trends.
You will find more information on the 2010 Biodiversity Target on the CBD website.
