Kunming marks start of biodiversity recovery path

The Kunming Declaration adopted on Wednesday at the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 15) in Kunming, Yunnan province, shows the determination of countries to solve the problem of biodiversity loss.

The declaration is a political declaration and the main achievement of the conference. It commits the parties to the convention to ensuring the development, adoption and implementation of an effective post-2020 global biodiversity framework to reverse the current loss of biodiversity and ensure that biodiversity is put on a recovery path by 2030 at the latest.

Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, noted:"The Kunming Declaration details some of the key elements needed for success: mainstreaming, redirection of subsidies, rule of law, full and effective participation of indigenous people and local communities."

The declaration took note of the theme of the UN Biodiversity Conference 2020:"Ecological Civilization: Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth".

Putting biodiversity on a path of recovery is a defining challenge for the world, requiring strong political momentum to push forward the ambitious and transformative post-2020 global biodiversity framework.

The Kunming Declaration is a powerful signal that countries have the political will to protect global biodiversity, and a product of China's leadership in global biodiversity conservation as the host of the Conference.

Its adoption is not only the result of the efforts of the international community to reverse the current loss of biodiversity, but also the beginning of overcoming new and formidable challenges.

The fundamental cause of biodiversity loss lies in the conflict between ecological environment and development under the traditional industrial development model, which has to be reformed for a green transformation of the growth model. This calls for global cooperation in this regard to embark on a new journey of high-quality development.

The four major initiatives put forward by President Xi Jinping while addressing the COP 15 virtual summit are important guarantees for this new journey to be finished in a timely and appropriate way.