C_2020345EN.01004501.xml

P8_TA(2018)0431

14th meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP14)

European Parliament resolution of 25 October 2018 on the 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP14) (2018/2791(RSP))

(2020/C 345/08)

The European Parliament,

—	having regard to its resolution of 2 February 2016 on the mid-term review of the EU’s Biodiversity Strategy (1),

—	having regard to its resolution of 15 November 2017 on an Action Plan for nature, people and the economy (2),

—

having regard to the Commission report of 20 May 2015 entitled ‘The State of Nature in the European Union: Report on the status of and trends for habitat types and species covered by the Birds and Habitats Directives for the 2007-2012 period as required under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive and Article 12 of the Birds Directive’ (COM(2015)0219),

—	having regard to the questions to the Commission and to the Council on the 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP14) (O-000115/2018 — B8-0413/2018 and O-000116/2018 — B8-0414/2018),

—	having regard to the motion for a resolution of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety,

—	having regard to Rules 128(5) and 123(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

whereas the mission statement of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, adopted by the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 2010, is to take effective and urgent action to halt the loss of biodiversity (the extraordinary variety of ecosystems, species and genetic resources that surround us) in order to ensure that by 2020 ecosystems are resilient and continue to provide essential services, thereby securing the planet’s variety of life, and contributing to human well-being and poverty eradication;

B.	whereas the 2050 Vision adopted under the CBD is ‘Living in harmony with nature’ where ‘by 2050, biodiversity is valued, conserved, restored and wisely used, maintaining ecosystem services, sustaining a healthy planet and delivering benefits essential for all people’;

whereas the 2050 Vision is supported by five overall goals: (a) address the underlying causes of biodiversity loss by mainstreaming biodiversity across government and society; (b) reduce the direct pressures on biodiversity and promote sustainable use; (c) improve the status of biodiversity by safeguarding ecosystems, species and genetic diversity; (d) enhance the benefits to all from biodiversity and ecosystem services; and (e) enhance implementation through participatory planning, knowledge management and capacity-building;

D.	whereas the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing aims to ensure that benefits arising out of the utilisation of genetic resources are shared in a fair and equitable manner;

whereas the EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy aims to halt the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the EU and help stop global biodiversity loss by 2020, bearing in mind the intrinsic value of biodiversity and the essential contribution of ecosystem services to human well-being and economic prosperity;

whereas the EU and the Member States have adopted the 2030 Agenda and its accompanying Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which call for the transformation of our world and the protection of our planet, including life on land and below water, and have committed themselves to their full implementation;

G.	whereas the deterioration of ecosystems means enormous social and economic losses for the EU;

General remarks

Notes with concern that the 2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets will not be met with the current trajectory of biodiversity loss, and calls on all Parties to and stakeholders of the CBD to step up their efforts; urges the Commission and the Member States, in this regard, to commit to immediate, substantial and additional efforts on biodiversity conservation so as to meet EU targets;

Stresses that the protection of global biodiversity is an essential challenge and thus a strategic EU interest that should receive the highest political attention; calls on the Commission and the Member States to actively engage, particularly through their external instruments, with third countries to promote and strengthen biodiversity conservation measures and governance, in particular in all multilateral agreements;

Stresses the need for a comprehensive governance regime to address the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystem services; calls on the EU and the Member States to remain strongly committed to further strengthening the CBD and to taking a leading role in the preparation of the post-2020 framework, in particular in the run-up to the fourteenth and fifteenth meetings of the Conference of the Parties, and to transparently set out their visions and priorities for the post-2020 global biodiversity framework;

Recalls that the conservation and restoration of biodiversity underpins the achievement of most of the SDGs and is essential for achieving EU policy objectives related, inter alia, to the environment, food security, climate change mitigation and adaptation, health, disaster-risk reduction and migration;

Recalls that biodiversity and ecosystem preservation is inherently synergistic and a core element of sustainable development; stresses the need for, and calls on the Commission and the Member States to facilitate, the adoption of biodiversity mainstreaming and improved environmental policy coherence in all internal and external policies of the EU, also with regard to their commitment to the full implementation of the SDGs by 2030;

Believes it to be critically important to address key drivers of biodiversity loss and deterioration with a long-term strategic approach and to develop and implement effective decisions and measures ranging from identifying and conserving protected areas based on the sensitivity of those areas, the presence of endangered species or identified knowledge gaps and/or effective management, to limiting losses of biodiversity and negative impacts on indigenous and local communities’ territories and livelihoods, restoring ecosystems and their services also outside protected areas, mainstreaming biodiversity into other sectors such as agriculture, forestry, land use planning, development cooperation, research and innovation, transport, mining and health, and eliminating perverse subsidies; considers it essential also to contain biodiversity loss and its negative impact on the land and on the means of subsistence of local and indigenous communities;

Implementation of the Convention and the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020

Recalls that the COP14 in Egypt marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention; considers it therefore of the utmost importance to step up efforts on the implementation of the current Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, to focus on the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and the core elements of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing and to work on an ambitious post-2020 strategic plan and implementation mechanism, with a view to developing a 2050 scenario which takes into account new challenges in the field of biodiversity, in line with the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs;

Highlights the role of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets in achieving the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, in particular SDG 14 (to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources) and SDG 15 (to protect terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss);

Notes with concern that assessments (3) of the conservation status of species and habitat types of conservation interest in the EU show that only 7 % of marine species and 9 % of marine habitat types show a ‘favourable conservation status’ and that 27 % of species assessments and 66 % of habitat type assessments show an ‘unfavourable conservation status’;

Post-2020 global biodiversity framework

10.

Urges steps to increase the ambition and improve the functioning of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework; calls on the Commission and the Member States to actively pursue the development of clear, quantitative, measurable targets with performance indicators, better tracking instruments, commitment processes and review and reporting mechanisms with common standards, echoing the mechanisms of the Paris Climate Agreement, to improve the transparency and accountability for Parties and the overall effectiveness of the next global biodiversity framework;

11.

Highlights that a stronger international framework is needed to protect global biodiversity, to stop its current decline and to restore it as much as possible; believes that such a framework should be based on targets and voluntary commitments, comprising nationally determined contributions, supported by local and regional contributions, and other appropriate instruments, financial commitments and improved capacity building assurances, as well as a five-yearly review mechanism, with an emphasis on improved governance of protected areas and more effective conservation measures, and an upward trajectory of ambition;

12.

Highlights the importance of minimising time lags that may arise between the adoption of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework and its translation into national biodiversity targets, in order to avoid delays to concrete actions aimed at stemming biodiversity loss;

Economic considerations and financing

13.

Underlines the fact that economic growth can facilitate sustainable development only if it is decoupled from the degradation of biodiversity and the capacity of nature to contribute to human well-being and stresses the importance of upscaling nature-based solutions to help societies address complex challenges with social and economic aspects in a fully sustainable way;

14.

Highlights the need for sufficient financing for biodiversity; underlines the fact that biodiversity proofing and the possible earmarking of funds for biodiversity in the next multiannual financial framework would have a significant and positive effect on the achievement of the 2050 Vision;

15.

Calls on the Commission and the Member States to promote the establishment of new international financial mechanisms for biodiversity conservation linked to the CBD and highlights the importance of private financing initiatives in this regard;

16.

Stresses the importance of increasing investments to achieve the Paris Agreement commitments in order to reduce impacts of climate change on biodiversity and to ensure coherence between policies for climate change mitigation and adaptation and biodiversity;

Forestry and agriculture

17.

Welcomes the fact that the recommendation 10.2(g) (XXI/1) for the COP14 decision mentions the potential of forestry and agriculture; underlines the fact that agricultural activities and preservation of biodiversity are closely linked; emphasises the fact that sustainable agriculture and forestry contribute greatly to the variety of species, habitats and ecosystems, and reduce the effects of climate change;

18.

Notes, however, the negative impact of intensive agriculture on biodiversity, in particular with regard to deforestation and the use of pesticides; recalls the alarming decline of pollinators which are key for well-functioning ecosystems; calls on Parties to undertake strong commitments towards sustainable agriculture and forestry, including supporting requirements for the promotion of agro-ecological approaches and the phase-out of harmful plant protection products, and strategies to ensure the protection of soil and habitats;

Innovation

19.

Welcomes the fact that technological development is mentioned in 10.2(h) (XXI/1); recalls the importance of innovation, research and development in order to achieve the objectives of the 2050 Vision, and calls on the Parties to focus in particular on the links between biodiversity preservation and benefits to human health and economic well-being, and to coordinate data collection measures;

Capacity-building, public awareness and involvement of all actors

20.

Stresses that capacity building and awareness-raising, inter alia on the values of biodiversity and ecosystem services, are key for a successful implementation; welcomes, therefore, the fact that COP13 adopted in its decision XIII/23 as well as in recommendation XXI/1 a short-term action plan (2017-2022) to enhance and support capacity-building and its communication strategy, and calls on COP14 to further elaborate on these key issues;

21.

Stresses the importance of a comprehensive and participatory process to shape the post-2020 framework;

22.

Welcomes the fact that public awareness campaigns are considered in XXI/1 for the preparation of COP14 and calls on the Parties to promote public awareness and multi-stakeholder involvement to ensure tailor-made solutions with local communities and indigenous peoples in order to foster the sustainable use of lands for increased biodiversity so that regional differences in landscapes and habitats are fully respected;

23.

Welcomes the intention to actively pursue a multi-stakeholder approach including regional and local actors, which is fundamental to valuing, protecting, conserving, sustainably using and restoring biodiversity and underlines that improved engagement with and between governance levels and sectors, as well as business biodiversity platforms, will create opportunities for better implementation of biodiversity targets and mainstreaming of biodiversity objectives into other policies;

o o

24.

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.

(1) OJ C 35, 31.1.2018, p. 2.

(2) OJ C 356, 4.10.2018, p. 38.

(3) Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, ‘The Regional Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services for Europe and Central Asia’, 2018.