Join us for the captivating episode of BREATHE as we embark on a journey to unravel one of the most pressing challenges of our era – how to harmoniously share our planet with its diverse wildlife inhabitants. In a world where urbanization continues to expand and natural habitats dwindle, the dynamic interplay between human communities and the animal kingdom has grown increasingly intricate.
Africa’s Priorities for COP28
ILRI and ABCG have recently formalized their commitment to tackle agricultural conservation challenges by signing a MoU. The partnership between ILRI and ABCG is a harmonious synergy poised to make a substantial impact in addressing conservation and agricultural challenges.
June 19, 2023 the United Nations on adopted a historic agreement designed to conserve and protect life in the high seas. This groundbreaking agreement significantly strengthens the legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in over two-thirds of the ocean.
The United Nation biodiversity conference – COP15 is currently ongoing in Montreal, Canada. Taking place under the warm hospitality of the people of Quebec, from 7-19 December 2022, the event has convened governments and leaders from nearly 200 countries around the world to agree on the post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, dubbed the 30 by 30 framework. The framework is an agreement to protect at least 30% of the world’s biodiversity by the year 2030.
Speaking while opening the conference on Tuesday, December 6, 2022, Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, said that, “the event needs to include the ambition needed to ensure that we halt the loss of biodiversity”.
“It needs to take the commitments we have heard for months and years and turn them into actions that will take us to the 2050 Vision of the Convention: living in harmony with nature”, Mrema added.
There is a united agreement in the discussions going on in Montreal that 30% is the bare minimum target needed to protect biodiversity and not the ceiling of what is needed to truly transform biodiversity. The last past years have shown that humanity cannot exist on earth with the continued degradation of nature. That, we cannot exists in this world if we continue to degrade nature at the rate at which we are. It is therefore imperative that this COP delivers an ambitious and actionable plan for nature.
Watch the discussion below as participants discuss this, or click to watch
The fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 15) will be taking place in Montreal, Canada, December 7-19, 2022. This important meeting of the decade has three objectives, the conservation of biodiversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources.
Protected Areas offers the anchor point to the future of the Africa continent. Africa’s protected and conserved areas hold unique competitive advantages for addressing poverty and building resilient communities. They are a source to basic needs in relation to healthy agricultural soils, food security, provide livehoods and assets for economic development, and provides domestic water to at least 609 million Africans living in Africa cities across the continent.
To address land-use planning challenges in Africa, ABCG has developed a scenario-based planning framework that enable spatially explicit, quantified exploration of tradeoffs or synergies between land use sectors to inform stakeholder-driven plans emphasizing sustainable strategies and policy outcomes.
World Environment Day was celebrated across the globe on June 5, 2022. Celebrated this year for the 49th time, this special day raises awareness on the responsibility we have in protecting our environment and the importance of conserving the planet for the sake of the current and future generation.
The event comes days after the Stockholm+50 event held on 2nd and 3rd June, under theme “a healthy planet for the prosperity of all – our responsibility, our opportunity.”
“The two-day meeting commemorated the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, the first world conference that placed environment issues at the forefront of international concerns (UNEP)
Therefore this year theme #OnlyOneEarth, seeks to remind us of our role as nations and citizens of the earth, to protect and conserve our environment and to encourage sustainable living everywhere and every day. The day, also, reminds key decision makers of their obligation that awaits them in making decisions that protect rather than destroy our environment. As well as, calls for shared, transformative action to protect and restore our planet earth.
The three global crisis of climate change, nature loss and pollution, is a constant reminder that the need for action is now more important than ever and needs to happen at all levels. That humanity must take action to conserve and restore the environment, and shift from activities that harm the planet and undertake those that heal the planet.
We strongly believe that the UN Climate Change Conference and subsequent meetings are necessary and worthwhile to helping achieve some of ABCG’s biggest objectives, including mainstreaming biodiversity considerations into economic development at the community level in African countries, reaching women and youth. We are particularly encouraged by private sector commitments, as well as climate financing, pledged to advance the roles and rights of indigenous peoples and local communities.
