Natural roof Expert: Even a 30% conservation target is not enough to save biodiversity

World countries are currently preparing concrete and numerical targets for halting biodiversity loss.

This summer, a meeting on biodiversity is scheduled to take place in Kunming, China, which will be one of the most important international negotiations of the year, in addition to the Glasgow climate summit.

On display is target to protect 30% of the earth’s land and water, which has already been approved by the EU, among others. The target would be even more ambitious, although in most countries the previous targets have not yet been reached.

However, even a 30% protection target is not enough to save biodiversity, writes an expert from Statistics Finland Jukka Hoffren, which is responsible for compiling sustainable development indicators in Finland.

Hoffren writes maintained by Statistics Finland In the Data & Trends blogthat the expansion of protected areas alone is far from what is needed to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity.

“Saving biodiversity and halting the ongoing wave of anthropogenic species extinction also requires attention to be paid to, for example, over-hunting and fishing, pollution, climate change, and harmful alien species,” Hoffren writes.

According to him, conservation targets should still be raised further and a total of 50% of the earth’s surface should be left in the natural state. That would mean, for example, Sitra’s fresh report major changes to our current resource base, economic system, and entire lifestyle.

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“Humanity must succeed in halting the loss of nature.”

Hoffren emphasizes, however, that the loss of nature is also a significant challenge for Finland.

“Over the decades, Finns have caused irreversible damage to nature and its diversity through their own thoughtless and careless activities,” he writes, referring to, for example, large-scale drainage of bogs and frequent logging.

At present, 86.1 per cent of Finland’s land area is forest land and 13 per cent of the forest area is protected. In the coastal and marine areas of Finland, the share of protection is 12 per cent. On the other hand, 83% of the ecosystem types that are particularly important for land and surface water birds are protected.

According to Hoffren, the protection of areas and other measures to prevent the loss of nature are essential, as the amount of natural capital is constantly dwindling and population growth is exacerbating the situation.

“For example, forests act as the lungs of the world, while pollinators and soil microbes are essential for food production. Mankind is bound to succeed in halting the loss of nature. ”