To save nature, world leaders aim to turn words into action at biodiversity summit

To save nature, world leaders aim to turn words into action at biodiversity summit toggle caption Ivan Valencia/AP Two years ago, nearly every country on Earth signed on to a landmark agreement to protect the fast-eroding natural world. It was celebrated as the “Paris moment” for the world’s threatened and endangered plants, animals and ecosystems — a global pledge aimed at slowing biodiversity loss in the same way the Paris Climate Agreement aimed to drastically cut climate-warming pollution. “It’s not just the environment ministries that map the plans, they’re really involving other ministries, the whole of government approach, and that means they take more time.” Other goals at COP16 include providing more financial support for biodiversity, recognizing the roles of Indigenous peoples and local communities in helping to preserve nature, and integrating efforts to protect nature with other international initiatives to combat climate change and desertification. Shaw, who helped compile the report, said the takeaway message is the same: “When you look at vertebrate populations — mammals, fish, reptiles, birds and amphibians — when you see those declines, it’s an early warning indicator of the unraveling of the functioning of nature.” All the more reason, she said, for the world to take urgent actions.