India officially joined the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People (HAC) on 7 October 2021 at a ceremony held between France and India in New Delhi. The High Ambition Coalition aims to protect at least 30% of the world’s land and ocean by 2030. India is the first country from the BRICS bloc to join this venture. The joining of India was first initiated at the One Planet Summit in January 2021. The French ambassador to India commented that the joining of India will be a game-changer in the developments of the projects of HAC and will boost the multilateral efforts of the organization since India is a significant player for biodiversity protection. A high-level biodiversity meeting is being held from 11 October to 15 to discuss a global framework for biodiversity protection.
High Ambition Coalition (HAC)
The High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People is an intergovernmental group of 70 countries that is co-chaired by Costa Rica and France and by the United Kingdom as Ocean co-chair. The Republic of the Marshall Islands serves as the convener and secretariat of the HAC. HAC was established to achieve an ambitious goal at the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to reverse the severe biodiversity loss and revive ecosystems critical to species and the survival of humanity. It also emphasizes the integral role that additional terrestrial and marine protection play in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. They are focusing on a global aim for nature and people with the central goal of protecting at least 30 percent of the world’s land and ocean by 2030. The 30×30 target is a global target that aims to end the rapid loss of species and protect critical ecosystems that are the source of our economic security.
Goals of High Ambition Coalition
The central goal of HAC is the protection of 30% of the land and oceans of the Earth by 2030. They believe this will promote indigenous-led conservation and prioritize intact ecosystems while focusing on areas where biodiversity and climate are essential. Another goal is to make sure that the conserved areas are well connected, ecologically representative and maintain the diversity of species and their abundance.
The other goals of HAC include:
- the effective management of protected and conserved areas
- increased public and private financing to ensure long-term management and local governance
- clear implementation mechanisms to put nature on a path to recovery by 2030.
This will make sure that protection will be done in such a way that the benefits are shared fairly to people, biodiversity, and a stable climate.
Thus, they try to manage the planet sustainably with no loss of natural habitats, supported by a circular economy and strive for the sustainable and equitable sharing of benefits from nature.
UN Biodiversity Conference 2021
The United Nations will be holding a virtual meeting from 11 October to 15 October, this will be a two-step summit, and the second part will be held from 25 April to 8 May 2022 in Kunming, China. The two-step summit is due to the ongoing uncertainties due to Covid 19 and to have a face-to-face meeting to develop global framework negotiations for nature. The meeting held in 2021 is the opening of the meeting, which is essential for the continuation of CBD programs.
According to Elizabeth Merma, the CBD executive, the meeting aims to discuss how to stop the loss of species and diversity as it determines the lives of future generations. She emphasizes the need to harmonize policies and actions at every level for protecting nature and a global biodiversity framework based on science and evidence.
The meeting also plans to discuss the first draft of decisions that were released on 12 July; this includes the main aim to protect 30% of global land and ocean by 2030. The other aims include reducing the rate of invasive alien species by 50% and controlling and eradicating these species to reduce their impact on nature. Other goals of HAC include eliminating plastic waste, reducing the use of pesticides by two-thirds, and reducing the use of nutrients lost to nature by half. HAC and the United Nations also plan to redirect or reform harmful incentives for biodiversity by $500 billion per year. They also plan to increase financial resources received for protecting biodiversity by at least $200 billion per year.