Second phase of COP15 to start soon

The highly anticipated second phase of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity will soon start in Montreal, Canada.

Over the years, the international community has become fully aware that biodiversity is of utmost importance and has acted to protect it, as reported by China Daily, a partner of TV BRICS.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said in a 2020 report that 41 percent of amphibians, 26 percent of mammals and 14 percent of birds are threatened with extinction.

In 2021, President Xi Jinping had delivered a keynote speech at the leaders' summit of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity. He said that the international community must enhance cooperation, build consensus and pool strength to build a community of all life on Earth.

In a recent interview with China Daily, Huang Runqiu, COP15 president and China's minister of ecology and environment, talked about  biodiversity, the upcoming conference and more.

"Data show that about half of global GDP is related to biodiversity. Over 3 billion people's livelihoods depend on marine and coastal biodiversity. Over 1.6 billion people's livelihoods depend on forests and non-lumber forest products. And about 70 percent of people living in poverty depend on activities like agriculture, fishing and forestry. As for healthcare, 70 percent of cancer drugs are natural products or originate from chemical compounds found in natural products," - he said.

Runqiu added that biodiversity played an important role in maintaining the natural ecological balance, for instance, by fostering water sources, purifying the environment, conserving water and soil, preventing or mediating natural disasters, safeguarding food security and protecting human health.

COP15 president noted that the Chinese government had always attached great importance to biodiversity protection and had made it a key part of the country's efforts to build an ecological civilization. For instance, the population of wild giant pandas has increased from 1,114 to 1,864. Their classification has been downgraded from "endangered" to "vulnerable".

According to him, China have established a system of protected areas with a focus on national parks. To date, the country has built its first five national parks, nearly 200 botanical gardens and 250 wildlife rehabilitation and breeding centers.

China will also deepen international cooperation and exchanges. The country will incorporate the topic of biodiversity conservation into high-level international exchanges, promote international cooperation on the issue at high levels, actively participate in global biodiversity governance and other international conventions and promote global multilateral environmental governance according to the concept of building a shared future for all life on Earth.

Runqiu also talked about the positive role that China has played during its COP15 presidency. 

"During the second phase of COP15, China will continue to play its presidency role well. With the support of the CBD secretariat, the presidium and the host country, China will work with fellow contracting parties, international organizations and stakeholders to spare no effort to advance the negotiation process, build the broadest possible consensus in the international community, promote the adoption of the framework and ensure the second phase of COP15 in Montreal is successful," - he said.

Photo: China Daily