The IPBES Report shows environmental action across the world
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The alarm bell is being rung by conservation scientists with the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, or “IPBES” for short. In 2019, the organization warned that an estimated one million species of animals and plants face extinction over the coming decades, with human exploitation a major driver behind this. And last week, a new report approved in Bonn, Germany by 139 countries has flagged that the sustainable use of wild species is vital for both humanity and nature.
Assessment co-chair and ecologist Dr Jean-Marc Fromentin of the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (IFREMER) said: “Rural people in developing countries are most at risk from unsustainable use.”
“About 50,000 wild species [are] used through different practices, including more than 10,000 wild species harvested directly for human food.
A lack of complementary alternatives, he added, is “forcing them to further exploit wild species already at risk.”
Alongside being used as food, the report noted that wild species are exploited for purposes including cosmetics, fuel, medicines, tourism and more.
Report co-chair and research geographer Dr Marla Emery of US Forest Service added: “70 percent of the world’s poor are directly dependent on wild species.
“One in five people rely on wild plants, algae and fungi for their food and income, 2.4 billion rely on fuel wood for cooking, and about 90 percent of the 120 million people working in capture fisheries are supported by small-scale fishing.
“But the regular use of wild species is extremely important not only in the Global South.
“From the fish that we eat, to medicines, cosmetics, decoration and recreation, wild species’ use is much more prevalent than most people realise.”
The new report focuses on “transformative changes” that would allow fishing, hunting and logging to be conducted more sustainably, as to not damage either global biodiversity or food security.
According to the report, a third of wild fish in the oceans are being overfished, more than 10 percent of wild tree species are threatened by unsustainable logging practices and more than 1,300 species of mammal have been brought to the brink of extinction by hunting.
The authors note that climate change, increased demand and technological advances in fishing, hunting and logging risk exacerbating the present situation.
Remedies suggested include a crackdown on illegal fishing, hunting and the wildlife trade, better management of the world’s forests, and economic and political initiatives to recognise the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities.
The IPBES assessment will inform discussions during the COP15 summit in Montréal, Canada, in December this year, where delegates will be focused on setting targets to help stem the loss of biodiversity around the world.
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UN Environment Programme executive director Inger Andersen told BBC News that the more sustainable use of animals and plants provides an incentive for conservation and a more harmonious relationship with nature.
She added: “Today, one million species are at risk of extinction and the unsustainable, illegal and unregulated use of species is a large part of the problem.
“For example, the illegal wildlife trade is a 23 billion dollar annual business that lines the deep pockets of a few unscrupulous individuals.
“These people get rich at the expense of nature and ecosystems.”
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