What challenges will the world need to overcome to meet the 2010 Biodiversity Target?

The second edition of Global Biodiversity Outlook suggests that the policies developed under the Convention are sufficient to meet the 2010 Biodiversity Target. They must be widely applied, in all relevant sectors, if conservation and sustainable use are to be achieved.

The food and agriculture sector contributes to pressure on biodiversity through land-use change, nutrient loading and over-exploitation of wild resources. A mixture of planning, regulations and incentive measures should be implemented to:

• Improve agricultural efficiency
• More effectively plan for the expansion of agriculture
• Moderate the demand for meat by the more affluent sectors of society
• Halt over-fishing and other destructive fishing practices

Trade policies have a strong affect on economic development, including food and agricultural production. For this reason, biodiversity concerns should be integrated with the trade agenda:

• Proactive measures to protect biodiversity must accompany trade liberalization. In the long run, the removal of subsidies for fisheries and agriculture has the potential to benefit biodiversity; in the short term, trade liberalization will accelerate its loss if not well-planned.

Biodiversity considerations must be integrated into any poverty reduction strategies in order to ensure their sustainability.

Biodiversity will be better protected through actions that are justified on their economic merits. The development of tools for the valuation of biodiversity is a priority.