Members and national committees of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) in South America today decided to work together towards the 2010 biodiversity" target. To facilitate this process, the South American committee created a regional ‘Cuenta Atrás 2010’ initiative as part of Countdown 2010 globally.
“The 2010 biodiversity target is a global target, signed by Heads of State at the World Summit for Sustainable Development 2002”, explained Robert Hofstede, IUCN Regional Director for South America. “As this region hosts a large share of the world’s biodiversity, the target cannot be achieved without significant improvements in the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in South America.”
Areas of joined concern identified by the consultation workshop include equity and poverty reduction; ecosystem management and protected areas; and communication and indicators. All national committees committed to integrate the 2010 biodiversity target into their activities and to jointly create a strong movement for biodiversity for the continent.
Marina Landeiro of the Brazilian nature conservation council CONABIO continued: “Achieving the 2010 biodiversity target on all levels will require significant efforts of various actors. Our national consultation process has developed an ambitious action plan with forty measurable targets, and we are looking forward to collaborating with Cuenta Atrás 2010 to turn them into action.”
Tomorrow, Ecuador will be the third national government of the region to confirm its commitment to the 2010 biodiversity target. Next steps for the regional Countdown 2010 hub include the publication of a situation analysis on the 2010 biodiversity target and a strong involvement in the Latin American parks congress in September. “This is a great opportunity to involve IUCN members, states and civil society into a joint objective promoting not only the reduction of biodiversity loss but the sustainable development of societies in South America”, finished Arturo Mora, IUCN Programme Officer and coordinator of the initiative in South America.
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