E-Paper
India submits national biodiversity targets
Actions to reach these targets should be implemented consistently and in harmony with the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Protocols.
India has submitted its National Biodiversity Targets to be achieved by 2030 to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in September 2024.
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) has 23 action-oriented global targets for urgent action over the decade to 2030. The actions set out in each target need to be initiated immediately by parties including India and achieved by 2030.
Together, the results will enable the achievement of the outcome-oriented goals for 2050. Actions to reach these targets should be implemented consistently and in harmony with the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Protocols, and other relevant international obligations, “taking into account national circumstances, priorities and socioeconomic conditions,” as per CBD.
The 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD-COP 16) will be held in Cali, Colombia from 21 October - 1 November 2024. India, a party to the COP has submitted its 23 targets ahead of COP16. India will also submit its National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plan during the COP-16,” an official said.
The 23 targets submitted by India include: 30% of areas are effectively conserved; ensure participation, justice, and rights for indigenous peoples and local communities, women and youth; sustainable consumption choices are enabled, and food waste reduced by half; multiple values of biodiversity are integrated into decision-making at all levels; fair and equitable sharing of benefits from genetic resources, digital sequence information and associated traditional knowledge; pollution reduced, halving nutrient loss and pesticide risk; reduce rates of introduction and establishment of invasive alien species by 50%; all areas are planned or managed to reduce loss of areas of high biodiversity importance.
One of the main targets of the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework is to ensure that by 2030 at least 30% of areas of degraded terrestrial, inland water, and marine and coastal ecosystems are under effective restoration, in order to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services, ecological integrity and connectivity.
“It’s important to understand that 30 by 30 biodiversity target is a global target that countries will collectively achieve. It doesn’t mean 30% land and water area in each country. India is already increasing its protected areas. We have 1.7 lakh sqkm of protected area, 57 tiger reserves, and 33 elephant reserves,” said Bhupender Yadav, union environment minister during a briefing on Monday.
