One million of the eight million global animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction, many within decades, says director for environment Sandeep Singh.
She said the Intergovernmental Science, Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) report found that aquatic and terrestrial species of flora and fauna were being vastly affected by human activities, altering their natural habitats to the point where they faced extinction within decades.
“The IPBES report shows that 75 per cent of land based environment and about 66 per cent of the marine environment have been significantly altered by human actions,” she said while speaking at an awareness workshop on the Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and The new Deal for Nature at the Holiday Inn in Suva last week Thursday.
She said the framework provided an opportunity for world leaders to come together at the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP15) to agree on an ambitious and transformational post-2020 global biodiversity framework.
“This should include its full implementation for adoption at the 15th Conference of Parties of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP15) as a key instrument to reach the Sustainable Development Goals.”
