ten government meetings in 2020 that will decide the fate of wildlife and conservation for years to come

At IFAW, when we talk about secure habitats for the places animals call home, we mean more than just security on the ground. Unless animals and their habitats are protected in law and government policies, we cannot be sure these places will stay secure over time. It is for this reason that IFAW engages so actively in advocacy work both nationally and internationally.

2020 is shaping up to be a crucial year for intergovernmental meetings on nature and climate change. So much so, it is already being called the environmental or biodiversity super year. It’s a refreshing change for 'nature’ to be the buzzword in government circles, but it couldn’t come at a more critical time.

Last year saw two groundbreaking reports from UN bodies underlining just how serious the situation has become. The first of these warned that one million species are at risk of extinction, with nature declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history. This report was closely followed by the Emissions gap report, which showed we are on the brink of missing the opportunity to limit global warming to the 1.5°C target to curb the catastrophic effects of climate change.

Both reports highlighted how the global response by governments has been insufficient. The two reports also highlighted how the costs of inaction are higher than taking action now. Governments cannot afford to wait. The natural world, and we the people who depend on it, cannot afford to wait.

The year will draw to a close with two critical meetings, with governments negotiating new targets on nature conservation and renewing pledges to reduce carbon emissions. However, throughout the year, there are also a number of other important meetings that will determine the fate of wildlife and habitats. Here we take a look at 10 key meetings in 2020:

1. Convention on Migratory Species (CMS)

The CMS kicks off the environmental super year with its conference in India in February to discuss the many issues confronting species that live and travel across national boundaries. Nothing exemplifies the need for governments to cooperate internationally more than the threats confronting birds, large terrestrial mammals, whales, sharks and many other species that traverse the planet. The meeting will see efforts to add the Asian elephant, the jaguar and more shark species to the list of animals protected by CMS.

2. A new High Seas treaty?

At the end of March, government negotiators will gather at the UN headquarters in New York for the final negotiating session for the development of a new global oceans treaty that will govern how areas of ocean beyond the control of individual nations (the high seas) are conserved. These international waters represent 64% of the ocean surface and 95% by volume, yet there is currently no comprehensive global regime for how they are used or protected. The new treaty will fill this critical gap.

3. The International Maritime Organization (IMO)

The IMO’s Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC) also meets at the end of March. On its agenda is a proposal led by Canada to enhance the work of the IMO on underwater noise. Sound is vital for the survival of many ocean species. Noise pollution, primarily from shipping, affects marine mammals and many fish species, by limiting their ability to communicate, navigate, find mates, detect prey and predators – essentially their ability to survive. The MEPC meeting will also see further discussion on how to limit greenhouse gas emissions from shipping; one of the major contributors to global warming. The MEPC meets again in October.

4. UN Ocean conference

A second UN Ocean Conference takes place in Lisbon, Portugal, in June. Following the first ever UN Ocean conference in 2017, governments will again meet to catalyse further action to protect the ocean in what is a critical year for marine conservation.

5. IUCN World Conservation Congress

Also in June, the 1,300 plus government and non-government members of the International union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) will meet in Marseille, France, at its Congress, which takes place every four years and is crucial in setting the tone for global conservation. Having recently joined IUCN, IFAW will be seeking to ensure the voice of animals is reflected in the policy priorities and positions IUCN will take forward over the next four years. This includes through an IFAW-led motion on tackling wildlife cybercrime, where IFAW is a global leader. This is one of over 120 motions being considered by the congress covering all aspects of conservation.

6. UN high-level biodiversity summit

As part of the environmental super year, the UN aims to gather world leaders at a meeting alongside the UN General Assembly in September, to generate the necessary political will to drive through an ambitious new deal for nature, to be negotiated at the Convention on Biological Diversity meeting the following month.

7. The International Whaling Commission (IWC)

In late September, the IWC meets for the 68th time since it was established back in the Forties, but it will be the first meeting without Japan as a member, following Japan’s withdrawal from the IWC last year so it could recommence commercial whaling. Japan’s actions will likely be a topic of the meeting along with proposals to reform the way the IWC works, part of an ongoing effort to make it a modern day conservation body fit for purpose in the 21st Century.

8. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)

The CITES Standing Committee meets in early October, to discuss ongoing efforts CITES member governments are taking to address trade in endangered species. The meeting will include reports on measures countries, including EU Member States, are taking to close their domestic ivory markets, and a report on Japan’s actions regarding its illegal import of sei whale meat.

9. Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

The CBD meets in October in China to finalise a ‘new deal for nature’ being negotiated at a series of meetings throughout this year – new global goals and targets for nature conservation that will dictate the actions of nations over the next decade to solve the crisis facing our natural world. The previous targets, the so-called Aichi targets, have largely failed as governments have not invested in protecting nature and a ‘business as usual’ approach has not produced the changes necessary to confront the damage we are doing to wildlife and habitats. IFAW is backing calls for an ambitious new framework, with high levels of protection for critical habitats, a new mechanism to hold countries to account for their actions, and significant new funding for nature conservation.

10. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

The environmental super year ends with a meeting of the UNFCCC, or climate CoP, in Glasgow, UK, in November. The meeting will see countries announce new pledges for greenhouse gas emission reductions. If we rely only on the current climate commitments of the Paris Agreement, temperatures can be expected to rise to 3.2°C this century. Therefore, greater ambition from all countries is crucial if warming is to be kept to levels that limit catastrophic impacts on nature and humans alike.

Although humans often take nature for granted, we need a healthy natural world to live. It provides the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink, the medicines we take, and the physical and mental well-being we obtain from its beauty. In short, we cannot live without it. We need nature. This year, nature needs us, or more specifically our governments, to be its champion. IFAW’s small but committed team will be there to ensure our governments do not let us down in this critical year for the natural world and our future.