What are the Aichi Biodiversity Targets?

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is a global agreement adopted at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The main objective of the CBD is to promote the sustainable management and conservation of biological diversity across the globe. The CBD sets out commitments for maintaining the world's ecological underpinnings while recognizing the rights of nations to harness natural resources.

As part of its mission, the CBD has facilitated the creation of various targets and strategies to guide efforts in biodiversity conservation. One of its monumental contributions to biodiversity conservation has been the establishment of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, a set of 20 ambitious goals designed to save biodiversity and enhance its benefits for people.

The Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 is a ten-year framework for action by all countries and stakeholders to safeguard biodiversity and the benefits it provides to people. Developed under the auspices of the CBD, this plan represents a unifying framework to address the underlying causes of biodiversity loss, ensure biodiversity's sustainability, and provide benefits from biodiversity and ecosystem services.

The Strategic Plan for Biodiversity included the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, outlining a path for biodiversity conservation that could engage a wide array of people and institutions. Though the 2020 deadline has passed, it is important for students to understand that these goals set the stage for ongoing and future efforts to protect biodiversity.

Ecosystem conservation is a vital component of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and the broader movement to protect global biodiversity. Put simply, ecosystem conservation involves the protection and sustainable management of ecosystems to ensure that they continue to provide the essential services upon which life depends.

Aichi Target 11, for instance, calls for the conservation of at least 17% of terrestrial and inland water areas, and 10% of coastal and marine areas, thereby focusing on both the geographic and functional aspects of ecosystems. Conserving ecosystems also involves restoring degraded areas and preventing species extinctions, which are essential actions to maintain the health and resilience of our planet.

Building on the legacy of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, the global biodiversity framework is the next step in the international community's efforts to halt and reverse the decline in global biodiversity. This framework will go beyond 2020 and will aim to accelerate action to achieve the CBD's vision of living in harmony with nature.

Given the mixed results in achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, it is understood that more ambitious and transformational changes are needed to address the challenges facing biodiversity. This includes better integration of biodiversity in government and business policies, more effective conservation measures, and enhanced international cooperation. The development of this new framework offers hope and a clear direction for future conservation efforts and is an essential study topic for those interested in the sustainability and conservation of global biodiversity.